


Two Words, Seven Years Silent

by DapperSheep



Category: Food Fantasy
Genre: Gen, M/M, Semi Canon-Compliant, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tagging Only Prominent Characters, Understanding Feelings, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-06-22 21:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15590796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DapperSheep/pseuds/DapperSheep
Summary: It wasn't easy coming back with not all of his memories intact. But he did as he had always done, adapted where it was needed. But to what point would he allow himself to be dragged along by memories returning at the most inconvenient of times?'What will come, will come.' As they say. He wasn't sure he liked that saying at all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, this time with an attempt at the Coffee x Chocolate pairing. This story is written during the first month of the global release of the game, so it’s highly likely that with future story content unlocks, this universe is going to deviate from canon. Slow build and burn is gonna be so much fun~
> 
> Edit: Some grammar changes and because of mistranslated pronouns on the official bios, some changes with that too.
> 
> More tags to be added as chapters are added. This is unbeta'd.

 

He opened his eyes to bright sunlight and the sound of a rushing stream somewhere nearby.

‘ _Where_ _am_ _I- Oh, right.’_ He slowly sat up, gingerly testing his hands to see if they cooperated. His body may be simulacra and didn’t have the same needs as a human body, but pain was still pain. And by the lingering ache in his fingers and wrist, he was _still_ in some marginal amount of it.

He thunked the back of his head against the soft ground and groaned. It didn’t look like he passed out for very long. Maybe a few hours at worst, and there was still enough light out that it couldn’t have been that close to sunset.

‘Master Attendant is going to be very angry with me- No, scratch that. It would be Black Tea who would be angry with me.’ He sighed at the thought of her covering for him again. She and the others really shouldn’t, but they did it for him anyway.

He lifted one of his hands, inspected the bruises that were healing slowly from when he had taken his frustrations out on some of the corrupted fauna in the area. They weren’t quite Fallen Angels, merely corrupted by their essence. Still it was something he could handle on his own.

He wanted to rest a little more, but the thought of worrying his Master Attendant still bothered him to a degree, and that was enough to spur him to get up and continue back onto the main path back to Gloriville.

Since the beginning, his new Attendant hadn’t seemed interested in him as a fighter, his unlinked skill notwithstanding. But they were kind to him, even if somewhat awkward and prone to moments of sarcasm. Coffee could understand the wishes of his Attendant if only because he could sympathize with their worries as a contractor and contractee.

Nothing like his first master, in any case.

“ _What can you do, Coffee?”_ He recalled them asking minutes after perusing some sort of journal. The summoning had been hours ago that day, and his new Master had welcomed him into the quaint restaurant that served as their business and home.

It was after hours, and the last Food Soul on duty had turned into the private Ice Arena for the night. It was simply him, his Master Attendant, and another Food Soul who he learned was called Rice.

“ _Master Attendant, I can do whatever you ask me to do.”_ He had answered, sitting in one of the chairs with his legs crossed. _“I’m well adapted for anything.”_

There was a pause as his new master considered his words.

“ _Yeah, well.”_ They’d stared straight at him with an almost deadpan expression. _“If I asked you to stand in that corner over there without your clothes on until I said you can put them back on, would you do it?”_

The Food Soul hadn’t understood what the question implied, to the point that he thought they were joking with him. _“Master Attendant, you have a strange sense of humor.”_ He chuckled.

When his amusement wasn’t shared by his attendant, nor by the small Food Soul who was looking between them in confusion, he found himself feeling suddenly self-conscious.

“ _You’re avoiding the question.”_ His Master Attendant had seemed particularly insistent. This was… interesting, to say the least.

He had pretended to give it more thought than he did. _“Mm… I would probably do as I’m told, even if it’s terribly shameful. But who’s to say I won’t eventually find some way to get you to tell me to leave the corner, or I would leave it myself and do something more productive than your order?”_

His first thought had been that his answer was blunt and that it felt good. His second thought right after told him that his answer was offensive enough to warrant having their covenant nullified before a day had even passed. He’d seen that before, remembered bits and pieces of memories that told him Food Souls shouldn’t offend their contractor.

A gentle, scarred hand gingerly touched his hand and he nearly hit his Attendant with his head as he looked up at them.

“ _Thank you.”_ They said, their tone soft as their gaze. _“For the honesty, I mean.”_

Coffee hadn’t understood that either, and his face probably showed it. Thankfully his master wasn’t one to leave things unexplained.

“ _I don’t have much use for you on my main team, or have any room on any of my delivery teams. Not that I don’t like you.”_ His Master Attendant spoke frankly, offering him a tiny awkward smile. _“That’s why I’m asking you if you could do anything else.”_

Coffee opened his mouth, then closed it. His shoulders sagged a little as he chuckled.

“ _Well, people say I brew a very wicked cup of coffee._ _Should I make one for you_ _as proof of my skill_ _?_ _”_ He offered with the sincerest smile he could muster. The amused expression on his Master Attendant’s face was all the response he needed.

He was allowed to manage the restaurant and keep an eye on everyone else while his Cooking Attendant left for other settlements on business. He did his job well, despite getting mixed reactions from the other Food Souls under his master’s care.

But even with the freedom he was given, he couldn’t help a small feeling of contempt that he couldn’t come along to the field with his Master Attendant, couldn’t watch their back when Milk could.

And then the memories started resurfacing.

At first it was subtle, small recollections that made no sense but were of no consequence. That was until he started getting flashbacks of the _blaze_ , the feeling of coldness in his fingertips yet the fires of hatred burning in his heart, whispers of ‘ _incompetent’_ and _‘failure’._

“ _I’m so sorry… Milk. I should have-”_

And there were names to the faces that became clearer, and his heart clenched even more.

Eventually, even supervising the restaurant’s staff was no longer enough to distract him from memories haunting his every step. Sometimes he wished that the _ether_ had taken away those memories too, for however short his time was there.

_His first master, lost to the flames_ _forever_ _. There was nothing he could do._ In his heart of hearts, he grieved for what could have been.

_And fragments of another. There had been another. Someone who had come after…_ He could not remember enough to piece together, but he knew it tasted more bitter than the beverage of his namesake.

It all hurt when they had no right to be.

Coffee worked himself raw for the next several days, all smiles for the customers and plans to improve the efficiency of the restaurant without rest. It wasn’t until his Attendant threatened to banish him permanently to the Ice Arena did he stop. So he did, with only a lingering sense of shame that he’d allowed his own emotions to dictate him so much.

But that hadn’t been the end of it. And so he was here now, hiding his hands as best as he could as he pulled himself together to face the customers and the Food Souls under his supervision. He ignored the quiet but knowing look Milk shot him as they passed each other.

‘I shouldn’t be doing this.’ The thought settled into his mind and refused to detach. ‘These _walks_ are more trouble than they’re worth, but what am I supposed to do?’

So he began thinking. Instead of running from his memories, he picked through them with a tenacity he hardly called upon until now. He began to look at them as not something that should drag him down, but as a lesson, and as a reminder of why he existed in the first place.

And then he began doing. This time with a proper purpose in mind.

Now if only he could convince Plum Juice that this venture was a good idea.

 

“Are you certain this is a good idea?” Beside him, Black Tea shot him a scrutinizing look. He merely returned it with a smile. They stood in front of a small, newly constructed cafe, situated between two large buildings largely used as storehouses. Before the cafe’s construction, it had been a disused lot collecting garbage, too small for even a small scale restaurant to be built on.

It was perfect. Temporary, but perfect.

So he had asked around for the owner, and bought the land off under the name of his Attendant. They would be _highly_ displeased when they found out but in the words of Tempura, it was worth it. Besides, there were too many legal hurdles to go over if a deed to a piece of land were named under a Food Soul.

“Honestly, Tea, Master Attendant’s business is their business and I wouldn’t want to bring it down just because of a little _project_. It’s better this way.”

“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” She chided. “I can understand the need to separate this,” She gestured to the cafe, “But what I mean is that, are you sure you want to do this? Taking commissions is something the Guild and its network does, and we are only Food Souls in a human society. We don’t even need the money.”

He glanced at her. “The Chef’s Guild is only one organization and they can’t always be there to address the more simple problems of the people.” Coffee explained, “Here, we can do something closer to the ground, along with the smaller guilds. Besides, isn’t this simply helping the humans?”

Black Tea turned her nose up at his words, shooting him a look that told him she didn’t buy a single word of it. But in the end she shook her head and turned away from the topic.

He liked her amongst everyone else besides Milk. She had a good head on her shoulder. She was -unfortunately- quick to find out his plans, but held enough curiosity and impartiality that she didn’t report this undertaking to their Master right away. It also helped that Milk had taken a shine to her. That was already something.

“Why make it a cafe though?” It was a genuinely curious question. And one that made Coffee smile wistfully.

“Because I remember that he wanted to open a coffee shop someday, when things quieted down.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee receives a letter one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like Plum Juice and his mild-mannered tone of voice. It also helps that his background is perfect for the role of ‘that guy who works with numbers because no one else is smart enough to do it’. Anyway, more typical worldbuilding from me, but we're at least getting somewhere.

 

“And this one… this one sounds like something straight out of a detective novel.”

“Long Bao, you read detective novels?” Taiyaki asked, wonder filling her voice.

“Nope! I mean, not exactly.” Long Bao shrugged, sipping at his tea that Coffee had insisted on making for him this time. While he was here, Long Bao wasn’t allowed near anything in his shop. “There’s a Peking Duck who frequents the park and tells stories to the kids there. I asked him one time to tell us a mystery story. It was really, really good…!”

“Ooh! Do tell. What was it about?”

“So in the Light Kingdom, there was a Food Soul…”

Coffee tuned out the conversation from his place behind the counter. The ‘younger’ Food Souls were a lively bunch, and sometimes hanged out here when they were on break or when they wanted to sneak out from their responsibilities. He didn’t mind, at least they brought a pleasant kind of noise and behaved themselves around customers.

Customer flow to the café had been slow this morning. But that was fine for Coffee, it simply meant he had more time to sort through the correspondence he’d received from the Exploration team when they returned last night.

He was halfway through sorting the rejects and the considerable ones when the tiny bell rang, signaling a customer had come in.

“Oh? So this is where you lot ran off to.” The undeniably calm voice of Plum Juice carried from the entrance. He stood there like a man who carried himself with a scholarly air, brooking no-nonsense. “Breaktime ended an hour ago, and the restaurant isn’t empty of things to do.”

“ACTUALLY,” Long Bao quipped, “Coffee has given us a mission.”

“A detective mystery sort of mission.” Taiyaki eagerly added.

“Wait, you’re actually accepting that?!” Dorayaki, who had been quietly glaring at Long Bao behind his sister, exclaimed.

Fixing the childish Food Souls with a look, Plum Juice then turned his gaze to Coffee, demanding an explanation. Coffee could only chuckle weakly. “They got into the correspondence…?” Coffee reasoned out, and Plum Juice’s face soured for a moment. He didn’t need to say anything when his very expression told Coffee just how disappointed he was with his organization.

“… about Gyoza?” Taiyaki could be heard murmuring.

“Maybe Tangyuan too if she feels like it.”

“Sis, you know we’re not supposed to be doing things without Master Attendant’s permission!”

This was getting nowhere. Plum Juice was also giving off the impression that he didn’t want the trio here either.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned.

“Alright, alright.” Coffee said in a louder voice to get their attention. Three heads swiveled towards him and stared. “You can go on the mission, but make sure you come back home before sundown. I don’t want to be responsible for you guys getting lost after dark.”

A pair of excited whoops and a drowned out protest erupted from the trio and before the older Food Souls knew it, they’d ran out the door. Plum Juice looked at the spot where they’d been, then turned back to the blonde Food Soul.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Plum Juice asked.

“It’s a local mission about a missing cat.” Coffee confessed. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out before the week is over.”

Plum Juice hummed thoughtfully, his severe expression softening. “I suppose one must learn through experience the hardships of life.” He mused. Plum Juice shot him another look, one that Coffee didn’t bother putting a name to, then approached the bar. Now that they’re alone, it was probably time for whatever business the oriental Food Soul had brought.

“Coffee, about the ledger for last month,” Plum Juice started, fishing out a dark green notebook that he used for reports solely for Coffee’s _venture_. “I have good news.”

“You’re the only one who thinks accounting reports are good news.” Coffee pointed out as he put away the correspondence into a nondescript box. “Can I interest you in a cup of coffee, Plum Juice?” Coffee offered, as was only polite.

The genteel Food Soul raised a differing hand and shook his head. “Thank you for offering, but I shall pass on it.” He replied, then took a seat at the bar. Against the minimalist Gloriville inspired interior, his oriental visage stood out in contrast. But the scholarly Food Soul never took notice.

Together they pored over the profits and losses. Plum Juice also shared with him news of the restaurant, since Coffee had relinquished his management of it to Pudding, who had been highly reluctant until some had suggested he co-managed it with someone else. Management of the restaurant after that was just as smooth as when Coffee had ran it.

Business had picked up in both establishments at a steady pace for the next three months, and while their Master Attendant _did_ eventually find out about the café, they weren’t too angry over it. Not really, but giving Coffee the _Vodka_ treatment for nearly two weeks had been intensely uncomfortable.

The discussion didn’t last past an hour, and before he knew it, Plum Juice was already standing up from his seat and slipping his notebook back into his robe.

“Ah yes, I nearly forgot. Hotdog wanted to pass this letter onto you.” He said, pulling out a weathered envelope slightly bigger than his hand. At a glance, Coffee could discern a flowing script. A woman’s gentle touch.

“They decided to pass by the mailbox set up further south, nearer to the desert border. Surprisingly, there had been a letter in there addressed to your establishment.” Plum Juice relayed what Hotdog had told him as Coffee took the envelope and flipped it over for inspection.

None of the Delivery teams went down there often, and it had been a whim of his to set up a black mailbox near one of the populous border towns. He hadn’t really counted on someone actually using it. But looking at the state of the envelope, it had been sitting in the mailbox for quite some time. It felt slightly heavy in his hands, too.

“It’s worn around the edges. I wonder if the sender had already given up on us answering their request?” Coffee mused out loud.

“Whoever knows?” Plum Juice responded softly.

He didn’t have time to open the mail since as soon as Plum Juice left, two customers had arrived. And then the afternoon flow of people trickled in. With him being the only one manning the café, he couldn’t find time to do any further reading.

But the letter stayed in his thoughts all afternoon. There was still a faint scent of perfume wafting from the tiny rips in the envelope, at least pointing him to the assumption that this client was not ordinary. The curiosity burned in him and he couldn’t wait until he closed shop for the day.

Time didn’t mean much to Food Souls, but in this moment, he could understand the human sentiment of time not moving fast enough. Eventually though, the sun had set, and he had seen out the last of his customers, a pair of giggling girls who were smitten with his professional but teasing personality.

He kept his smile up until they were down the road. He turned back into the café, quickly cleaning up the last table and washing off the cups used. In no time at all, he was locking up the café, his coat snugly draped over his shoulders while the nondescript box of correspondence was securely placed under an arm.

With his sunglasses pushed up into his hair, he made his way back home to his Master Attendant’s home. While there were many of them under the Master Attendant’s care, it wasn’t like all of them were home at the same time. That was a rare occurrence.

The Exploration team was often out for days at a time, and the Delivery teams often did night deliveries and spent more time in the Ice Arena than in actual rooms. What actual rooms there were, were shared between those who did shifts in the restaurant or chores around the home.

The Master Attendant promised that given time, they’d be able to get them proper rooms where they didn’t have to share with more than one other roommate at a time. A few voiced their excitement about it, while others really had no opinion about it. After all, Food Souls hardly understood the concept of being materialistic or being a hoarder.

Except Omurice. That one was an outlier.

He entered the house from the back, getting greetings from the group on cleaning duty. He threw them a hasty greeting back, spelled away his shoes at the landing and took the stairs two at a time then padded down the hallway to his room at the far end.

“Welcome back, Coffee.” Milk tonelessly greeted as he stepped into the room. It was sparsely decorated, with three beds pressed against the wall with a medium sized trunk at the foot of each one. The only other furnishings in the room were a table and chair that had seen more use from him than from his roommates.

“Good evening, Milk.” He said with a sincere smile. She was his Milk, the one from his memories and who had been with him during his short stint with his first Attendant.

If he had a better grasp on the concept of fate or coincidence, he would have ruminated that it was odd that the universe had allowed himself to be summoned under the same Attendant as hers.

But he didn’t. All he knew was that she was someone familiar, and he somehow sensed that she was relieved that he was here. He could admit he felt the same. It felt nice to know someone from before.

“Have you finished sorting?” She asked from her seat on one of the beds.

“Almost. A new one just came in and I still need to read it.” He replied, heading straight to the table and setting the box and his sunglasses down. He flipped the lone lamp on and began setting out the letters. The weathered envelope, he set aside for now.

“Do you need help?” She asked. Coffee paused and considered it.

“Why sure, Milk.” He handed her a thick stack of letters he tied with a black cord. “These are the rejected requests. Do you still remember how to make the reply letters?”

She nodded. She’d done it before, and picked up how to politely refuse the client without being too demeaning or emotionless with her explanations. She took the stack from him and went out of the room without another word, already knowing the procedure that Coffee had taught her.

With that taken care of, Coffee sped through the remaining correspondence, skimming words and putting together the meaning behind each request.

Some were as simple as asking for advice. Many required fetching something or solving something. Others were as outrageous as, ‘Please deliver to me a ten-layered cake with these toppings’ or, ‘I want a flower from the Light Kingdom’s Palace gardens’. Those were the easy ones to refuse.

But there were also the ones who were questionable in nature, letters whose words exposed the darkness that lay within the human heart and mind.

These were the requests Coffee mulled hard over, and oftentimes found himself accepting when in all honesty, he shouldn’t. But there was something about the silky words and sincere emotion behind them that drew him in, called out to that part of him that pined for something to _burn._

He never allowed the others to see these, even the ones that he had to refuse. Moreso, he never allowed any of them to carry out these requests, rather taking all that burden on himself. He had accepted these on his whim, he had to be the one to carry them out.

If his first master could see him now, the one whose visage he had taken as his own, he wonders just what would he have thought of his beloved Food Soul now?

Coffee doesn’t speculate on it. His first master is long dead, there was no more to be done about that.

He dumped the last letter into the approved pile, a mere six letters while the stack of rejects sat high and awaiting Milk’s carefully penned replies before being returned to their senders. Coffee took this time to lean back in his chair.

He frowned at the ceiling, mulling over who to give these requests to. He couldn’t let Black Tea or any of the ones from the main team do these, not now when their Master Attendant seemed to be high strung with missions coming directly from Master Attendant Olivia. There were a few other food souls who would probably fit well to the tasks, but that wouldn’t be enough to complete all of the requests within an acceptable time frame.

Coffee groaned at nothing in particularly and sat up. He’ll just have to see what happens over the next days-

It was then he noticed the still unopened envelope on his desk. His curiosity returning, he reached out and carefully ripped open one end and shook the contents out. With a muffled clatter, a bright blue jewel attached to a simple cord fell out, along with a folded letter that had been the one that smelled faintly of perfume.

‘Curious little thing.’ He thought, glancing at the necklace before his attention focused on the letter. Taking the letter, he unfolded it and began to read the contents written in delicate handwriting, yet he noticed on his second read that there was a certain shaky quality to the strokes.

He read a third time, then reread it a few more to fully understand and check if there was no subtext within them. Silently, he looked to the necklace that sat on his table, then back to the letter in his hand.

It was an odd request, but it was the most interesting one he’s had in a while.

‘I suppose I could do with a vacation.’ He mused, the gears in his head turning.

Somewhere down the hall, he could hear Omurice belting his heart out to Jello’s ‘Love Love Pretty Honey’ single.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not even 24 hours later and I'm already submitting the second chapter. Fair warning, this is not going to be a habit.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was against his business principles to meet with clients, as being anonymous is what makes it all so enticing and safe for everyone. But for this one, he could make an exception.

 

“You sure you don’t want us to drop you off at your stop?”

“I’m sure. I’ve already inconvenienced you enough.”

“Hah-! You’re alright, Coffee. Well, good luck, man.”

The Soul Food at the wheel slapped his goggles over his eyes and flashed Coffee a grin. With a two-finger salute, he revved the engine and soon the delivery team’s cargo motorbike sped down the opposite path, off to deliver their orders before returning home.

Coffee watched them disappear beyond the line of trees before he turned and set off down the path that would take him to one of the border towns, where the address of his latest client was located. Hopefully it wasn’t a ghost address, or he would have hit a dead end before he even began.

He didn’t bring a bag, nor anything else a human would need for a long trip away from home. The only items on his person were his client’s letter, a wallet for money, and a pouch of small soul fruits that Milk had pressed into his hands before he’d left with Hotdog’s delivery team earlier that day.

“Please, take care.” She said, by way of a goodbye. He pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, his own way of saying goodbye and that he appreciated her concern.

The journey had been relatively fine. Hamburger was a good driver even if he was loud. Napoleon Cake was singing for half the time Coffee was with them, perched on the roof of the motorbike along with Hotdog who was somehow able to sketch out the passing scenery with little difficulty. He had been in the back with Steak and Spicy Gluten, who were the quietest they’d ever been, given that neither of them had any opinion of each other.

They didn’t bother him either, the only time they addressed him was when Steak asked him where he was going.

Two days ago, he’d ask his Master Attendant for a few days off, citing it as personal business. They looked confused after he had said those words at first, then a muted look of understanding dawned on their face. Coffee was sure they’d never caught word of what he actually did aside from manning his café, but sometimes his Master Attendant just seemed to know without really ever knowing.

What was more amazing, was their utmost trust in him.

With great reluctance, they allowed him his request. But in return, he had to sit in on a lecture about safe traveling and ‘not getting into caves unless completely necessary.’ Apparently, someone on the Exploration team had done some spelunking and it didn’t end very well.

Now on the road to Darwick under the autumn sun, Coffee could appreciate the scenery as he walked the rest of the way.

He stopped a while to look out over a field of Salvia flowers, blooming a bright bluish purple amongst the green. Soon, when winter passes over this land, this would be nothing but a field of white. The world was beautiful in its own way, though harsh as life has to give way to death and then vice versa. Always evolving, always adapting, but in a way that not even someone as long lived as a Food Soul would be able to bear witness to all of it.

Coffee gave the fields one last look, and then continued on his way.

 

The town of Darwick was nestled close to the mountains that separated the luscious greenery from the arid desert on the other side. The town itself was still well within the region of Gloriville’s social and political influence, but far enough that it takes at least a day for news to arrive.

It didn’t take long for him to spy the town gates. It was an old-fashioned but charming community, with a plaza that served as the town’s center. Shops lined up and down the main street and that’s where he headed first, asking around for someone named Salina.

Eventually, a shopkeeper knew who she was, and then pointed him down the correct street to where she lived. As thanks, he bought a few pieces of their bread and pastries.

Paperbag in hand, he passed into the part of town where the houses looked less kept and pretty, though certainly a few steps better than the slums he’d seen in Gloriville. He glanced at a street sign and turned down another, smaller road and stopped at the gate to a homely looking bungalow that was looked only slightly bigger than his own café.

There was a small garden out front, likely a rose bed, but it had long since fell into neglect with weeds choking what was left of its former residents.

In fact, when Coffee decided to take note of the bigger picture, the house itself looked like it was falling apart.

Coffee’s lips downturned into a frown. He wasn’t sure if he got the right place, but with no one around to ask, he decided he might as well move forward.

The gate opened loudly with an earsplitting creak. Rubbing his ears, he casually strode up the short path and stood before the door. He rung the bell on the side, then waited.

“One moment.” Came the muffled response. He only had time to run a hand through his hair before the door swung open to reveal an attractive lady.

The woman standing before him could have worn the drabbest, homeliest dress known to man and it still wouldn’t diminish anything from her beauty. Her flaxen blonde hair fell to just below her shoulders, streaks of distinct grey already beginning to appear. But even with this striking outer appearance, the stench of sickness wafted from beneath, its existence hinted only by the strange greyness and sallowness of her skin.

Behind the spectacles she wore, her brown doe eyes blinked owlishly at him as he stood there momentarily at a loss for words.

“Salina, I presume?” He asked, flashing her his most charming smile once he’d recovered.

“Yes…?” The woman before him pursed her lips, looking him up and down. “To whom am I speaking to?”

“Ah, my deepest apologies. I am the proprietor of the Satan’s Coffee Shop.” He answered, giving her a respectful nod of his head. “I’m here regarding your request.”

“You’re a Food Soul, aren’t you.” She said softly, her previously dull brown eyes sharpening in clarity. It didn’t sound like a question. So for her not to recognize him as a Coffee, his particular type of Food Soul hadn’t been seen around here often? That was interesting to note.

“Yes. I am known as Coffee.” He said. “May I come in and discuss your request?”

Salina considered him once, then stepped back and gestured for him to come inside. Stepping over the threshold, the first thing he noticed was the smell. It smelled faintly of herbs, homemade medicine and rooibos tea steepled with fresh mint. While the on the outside, the house looked like no one lived in it, the interior looked reasonably well-kept.

He was in a common room that shared space with a kitchenette, and the three closed off doors may have led to the bathroom and private quarters.

She led him over to the table beside the open window, gesturing to a seat while she walked over to the stove. As she walked, he noticed the weakness in her steps, the slow, measured way as if the very act of walking was causing her pain.

He chose not to reach out or point it out. Some humans didn’t appreciate that kind of concern, and he wasn’t here to do such but to gather information for her request.

“Tea?” She offered.

“I would love some. But please, let me.” He said. Coffee moved to take the still steaming pot from its stand while Salina allowed him. She sat primly on a chair, watching Coffee pour her a full cup before he poured himself one.

“I hadn’t known…” She began in a near whisper. “I’ve heard rumors about what you do. But I didn’t believe it until you came today. My letter was sent months ago so I thought you didn’t exist.”

“We have been busy.” Coffee smoothly responded. He replaced the teapot on the stove and took a seat. “But as soon as I was free, I came to investigate and to perhaps ask for more information? Your letter was interesting, but it was vague on details.”

“I suppose it was.” She agreed distractedly.

“You were a Cooking Attendant, miss Salina?”

“Was. I left that life a long time ago.” She answered. That explained how she was able to discern that he was different. “I’ve settled down in this town for the past seven years. It was only the last three years that it had been only me and Chocolate.” He sensed that there must have been another member to their group, by how she had worded her answer, but she didn’t seem willing to give more than that. So he turned to other matters.

“Chocolate… is your Food Soul that you’ve mentioned?”

“Yes, though he’s not here at the moment.” Here, her face turned wistful and sad. “I would rather he did not see me slowly waste away.”

The silence stretched on.

Coffee chose to break it by asking, “Where is he, by the way?”

“He’s gone to do what he thinks is right. That silly, wonderful man.” She shook her head, her shoulders shaking until Coffee realized tears were freely flowing down her cheeks.

“Chocolate has been with me for as long as I could remember. And he hasn’t known anyone else but me. I am… I feel terrible for being selfish. I haven’t done enough for him.” She said between her tears, between the pain and regret so finely etched into her words and eyes that Coffee found himself feeling uncomfortable at the sight.

“He deserved better than me. For all that he tried to make me happy, I failed to thank him for being the one constant I have in my life.”

_Failure_. Like he had failed to save his first master. How he failed to notice that leaving his cooking attendant alone that fateful night due to his own selfish desire was the poorest decision he’d made. How he failed to rush into that flaming inferno to at least try to save the body or die trying-

But where was the sense in comparing his then to Salina’s now?

He did not open his mouth to speak. For all that he wanted to say something, this moment wasn’t his. It was hers, and she had no one to pour her dying thoughts out to. The blonde Food Soul could give her this much.

Coffee politely averted his eyes as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, her fingers visibly trembling.

“It’s likely… that this would be our first and last meeting.” She said with a solemnness that spoke of resignation to the inevitable. Coffee remained silent, waiting for her to gather her thoughts before she added, “Everyday I feel myself drifting farther. Perhaps there will be a day soon that I will go to sleep and never wake.”

He fixed her with a questioning stare. “Is there no other way to cure your illness, miss Salina?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I’m past saving.”

For all that humans challenged their own limits, in the end, they were nothing but specks of dust in this world. Lifespans so short and bodies made of fragile flesh that perhaps it is what drives them to be reckless, ruthless and passionate. Selfishness incarnate.

“I’m sorry to burden you with this.” Salina said, her hands trembling on top of the table. Without thinking twice, he reached out a hand to cover hers. Her hands felt cold to the touch, colder than what a normal human should be.

“It’s alright.” Coffee reassured with a smile. “You’ve reached out to us for help, and we’ve accepted this willingly. And so we will complete your request to the best that we can.”

Salina looked to her untouched cup. Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, she looked like a sorrowful ghost of a lovely woman. “My dearest Chocolate… I wish I could do more for him.” She murmured.

“You can still be something for him, even after death.” Coffee spoke with a sincerity that surprised even himself. She listened, but gave no reply.

Coffee pulled his hand back and carefully picked up his tea, the liquid having cooled considerably. He took a large sip, letting the cool taste of mint mingle with the light, fruity sweetness of the rooibos.

“Miss Salina. Your Chocolate… what is he like?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exploration team consists of Vodka, Zongzi, Sanma, Miso and Tempura. Three guesses as to who thought spelunking was a good idea.
> 
> We're slowly getting to the first meeting between Chocolate and Coffee. Also, if Coffee's characterization is confusing, it's actually meant to be so. This story also doubles as me character studying Coffee, from his motivations, his understanding of very human behaviours within himself and others, and his strengths and blindsides.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a dreary day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd as usual. If the narrative seems a bit off than the previous chapter... that's probably my fault finishing this up at 1am in the morning.

 

He stayed around Darwick for the day, and then another. He made small talk with the shopkeepers, and charmed the young ladies of the town into relinquishing some information about anything and everything. There weren’t a lot of Food Souls around, but the few he’d seen were not interested in questioning a stranger Food Soul in their midst.

He didn’t revisit Salina. There had been no need to.

On the third day, he made his way to a neighboring town. It was a long walk from Darwick, but not long enough that it took half a day. He really had no business going there, but on a whim, he decided he might as well make use of this impromptu vacation to see the sights, see what has changed since the last time he’d walked this land.

Despite Ilsmouth being mainly a small business port, it was densely populated, and saw more traffic than Darwick did considering its location nearer Midgar. Restaurants bustled with activity and customers, the local guild’s building was always full of people coming in and out. And there were more Food Souls scattered about doing their own business.

Coffee took all of this in as he walked down the street, vaguely wondering if it was a good idea to set up a black mailbox around here, or if there was one in the area already.

‘I really need to look at the map again. Tea did say all of them were set up where I asked, but the problem is that I don’t remember all of them.’ He thought with a grimace. As he continued to weave through the thick crowd, he passed by a couple and stopped, his attention suddenly focused on the male half.

A maroon hat sat on a dark crown of hair, a patterned open poncho draped over broad shoulders. When the man turned sideways, Coffee caught a glimpse of a sun-kissed cheek, a smile that crinkled the corner of a blue eye.

No one could mistake this man to be anyone but Chocolate. Or _a_ Chocolate, at least.

Rare as they were as a summon, they were highly popular not as a fighter, but as a companion, though Coffee would like to think that any Food Soul on the battlefield was still a force to be reckoned with.

For a single moment, he considered if this was Salina’s. He had no way to know, being a stranger to their bond and all that he knew was based from what she had told him of her Food Soul.

‘He couldn’t be off enjoying himself while Salina was sick, could he?’ Coffee mused quietly.

He noticed this Chocolate had his hand linked with the young lady’s, laughing at something she’d said. Coffee watched as the Food Soul leaned in and pressed a long kiss to her cheek in a manner that wasn’t anything like what he gives to Milk. The young lady’s cheeks flushed red, and it wasn’t long before she started returning the affection.

_Oh._ It hit him.

Coffee politely averted his eyes. ‘Definitely not Salina’s Chocolate.’ He didn’t know if that was true, but he trusted himself that it was.

He turned and resumed walking.

 

 

By sunset he was situated in an inn room for the night. The sounds of the port down the street have ceased, but in its place was a cacophony of rowdy yells and drunken singing from the bar on the ground floor.

Coffee didn’t mind the sounds. He wouldn’t need that many hours of sleep tonight before he returned to Darwick in the morning.

As he settled into his seat, he took a bite of the mango tart he’d bought from a bakery, chewing slowly and savoring the flavor as he lost himself in his thoughts.

‘No sign of Chocolate. Even Salina has no idea where he would have gone.’ He mused. Coffee could take a guess at least. In her answering of his questions, she had let slip that while ‘he’ was still around, Chocolate wasn’t as forthcoming or expressive, though he had loyally stood by her side. But ever since that day she could never tell Coffee in detail, Chocolate seemed to have taken it upon himself to be more to her.

It was likely that he went after this person, in hopes that they would ease her mind and probably make her feel better. It was a simple solution that any Food Soul would be able to think of. But therein lies the problem of the person’s whereabouts, and if Chocolate was able to find this person at all.

Coffee sighed. This request was getting harder the more he thought about it.

“Client refuses to give out important details. Client is also dying. Their Chocolate is gone and I have no idea where to start looking. There is something I’m missing, and there’s no Milk around to ask advice from.” He ticked off his fingers for every enumerated item he said out loud. He stared at his open palm, his five fingers splayed, then frowned.

Humans. Always making things more complicated than they are.

‘I might as well pay Salina another visit.’ And this time, he hoped he could glean more from her.

With a huff, he dropped his hand and made to reach for the steaming mug of coffee he ordered from the pub below. Just from the smell alone, he could tell that the coffee beans used were over-roasted, but not too much that the fragrant scent was overridden by the smell of burnt beans.

He could make do with a few sips, but this was certainly poorer than what he could have brewed in his own cafe.

“ _So you’re the one called Coffee. You don’t look half bad._ _”_

He very nearly dropped the mug in surprise.

The voice seemed to echo in the small room. He whirled around to the door, but found that no one was there, nor did it look like anything had been disturbed.

The sounds of merriment was muffled by the walls and the door. He took a moment to calm himself and reached out to feel for anyone who might be nearby.

No one.

There was no vibration in the floor’s wood boards to indicate that someone had been in the hallway, and he has not heard thus far of any human or Food Soul who could send their thoughts to someone else.

It could only mean one thing.

Memories of his past summoning were returning. He’d almost forgotten about them.

Maybe it was a sign. He thought about it before snorting at himself.

‘At least it’s better than the blood.’ He could still remember how that particular memory returned to him. Sometimes he wished that Food Souls could sleep naturally, so these memories would rather come as dreams than vivid flashbacks.

Could Food Souls even dream? Probably, he would say. But he doubts dreams were made of hellfire, of agonized screams or dead gazes of strangers and allies.

Coffee waited, anticipating the onslaught of more memories resurfacing. He waited until the noise downstairs began to ebb, when the night had finally settled in and patrons of the bar were drunkenly making their way home or into a nearby gutter. His mind was silent.

He let out a breath, relieved for whatever it was worth. He tried to return his focus back on the request, but found that he wasn’t in the mood for more of it tonight. Turning off the lamp, he moved to the bed to try and rest before the journey back to Salina’s town. In the silence of the night, he remained awake.

He was out of Ilsmouth by the time the first rays of dawn appeared over the horizon.

 

 

The moment he stepped into Darwick, he knew at once that something was wrong.

There should have been a bustling mid-morning crowd on the shopping street, but the usual passive gaiety of the town was subdued. There were people out and about certainly, but not as much as there should have been for a Sunday.

With rising suspicion, he approached the shopkeeper who had directed him to Salina’s house and asked about the unusual quiet over the town today.

“Salina died.”

The shopkeeper said with a solemn air. Coffee pretended to be surprised. It helped that in a manner, he genuinely was.

‘So soon.’ Coffee thought. ‘The human life disappears too soon and too sudden.’ He supposed he should have anticipated this.

The shopkeeper glanced at him and asked, “Are you a friend of hers?”

“Something like that.” He answered. Nevertheless, they told him that her Food Soul had returned, and was the one to discover her body in her own home. The funeral would be attended by those who had known her, and she would be buried in the town’s cemetery.

He nodded his thanks and proceeded to the outskirts of town, the sun barred from view by the dreary autumn weather setting in. Upon reaching the cemetery, he found the crowd easily enough and eased his way among them.

The crowds around him chattered. Words of condolences whispered amongst themselves. From the snippets of conversation he heard, Coffee could piece together a story, a tragic one that was not a mere fairytale.

Salina was a kind woman, who taught the wives and daughters of the town’s men to cook better meals, who helped forage for ingredients outside of town and who was genuinely liked by many. But because of her natural beauty, she was also envied by many.

Salina had no living relatives. None that her neighbors knew of. She had a lover who had gone off to war against Palata, but it had been years ago, and there was no letter nor communication from him. It was whispered that he may have died, or that he was still alive and fighting what was left of the rebels against the armistice.

Some who were more bold, whispered that he had known she was sick and left her behind.

Whatever his fate, after his departure, she was never the same. She became withdrawn and came out to the town’s gate every dusk, or to buy ingredients for her meals she now cooks alone in her own home. The townspeople hadn’t known that she was ill and dying until a few days before Coffee had visited her.

All the while, they ignored the Food Soul who was kneeling unmoving in front of the coffin.

In all of the conversations Coffee eavesdropped on, no one spoke about her Food Soul as loud as the gossiping chatter about her. If he caught the name, it was spoken with disappointment and pity, as if he was the reason Salina died lonely and alone.

The blonde Food Soul may have only known her for a day, but the stories that Salina told him of her beloved Chocolate was far from the Food Soul these hushed whispers painted him out to be, and far more genuine emotion was shown in her retelling of them.

Though she never had eyes for him, the love they had was something that transcended that of friends or lovers. This much he managed to glean. It was only a tragedy that she didn’t put this love in as high regard as that of her pining for a lost love.

Coffee couldn’t tell if that was selfishness or simply a result of her being blinded by love. But he was not one to judge.

He stayed as they lowered the coffin into the ground. He stayed as the last of the crowd returned to town. He stayed as the groundskeeper had finished burying her and the tombstone had been set up.

He stayed and watched Salina’s Food Soul as he stood in front of her grave.

In the shade of a nearby tree, Coffee studied the Food Soul. It was definitely a Chocolate, down to the sun-kissed skin and the slim physique beneath the slightly loose clothes. He didn’t have the trademark hat on, rather, it was held crumpled in the man’s hand while his other held a single red rose.

The blonde Food Soul wondered if now was a good time to approach him. He knew that some Food Souls often mourned people they were close to, but he couldn’t say that he understood the need for it.

What was the benefit of allowing yourself to drown and becoming lost?

‘I guess I should give him a little more time.’ It was the least he could do before he figuratively pulled the carpet out from under his feet.

 

 

‘A little more time’ turned into an hour. Then two. Within a blink, the dreary weather had worsened, blocking the sun out and promising the cold autumn rain to come soon.

That was when Coffee noticed the shift.

It was slow, deliberate movement from Chocolate. He reached out the hand with the rose and caressed the picture of Salina embedded into the stone. The hand withdrew, only to gently place the red rose in front of the picture, a startling contrast to the white lilies surrounding the grave.

Coffee moved away from where he leaned against the tree trunk, and decided it was time. He deliberately counted his steps, timing it with the graceful movement of Chocolate getting to his feet and turning around.

Coffee stopped a few feet away, allowing the other Food Soul to be the one to close the distance.

The other drew closer, and Coffee opened his mouth to speak when he was within earshot.

“--”

In that moment, Chocolate hadn’t stopped and only moved slightly off to the side, but not enough that they still brushed shoulders.

In that brief, seemingly harmless contact, Coffee felt a sharp sting of pain. Something intangible and razor-edged pierced deep, ignoring his fleshy simulacra and clung to his very core.

It felt like the heat that licked at his face as he stood watching the inferno shoot up to the sky.

It felt like the ice that ran through his veins as people laughed and laughed and _laughed._

It felt like the scream he let out when Milk was torn to shreds before his very eyes.

This was… it longed to make something _burn_.

Coffee gasped, hand immediately flying to his shoulder that had bumped into Chocolate’s. He staggered and nearly stumbled as he moved to put some distance between him and the other Food Soul.

Chocolate didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even turn his head to look at the Food Soul.

“Sorry.” Chocolate apologized tonelessly, as still and calm as deep water. He didn’t stop and simply kept walking down the path out of the cemetery.

Coffee tried to ignore the tremor that ran through his body, tried not to put a name to the sudden feeling of his heart clenching. He failed in that first regard, but he didn’t for the second.

It wasn’t fear. He told himself. It was something, but not fear. He didn’t know why, only that he did.

When he finally got the tremors under control, he looked up to see Chocolate gone. The blonde Food Soul exhaled sharply and made his way back to town.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for first meetings.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee experiences problems and windfalls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gentle reminder that this is a slow build and burn fic and there would be a lot of Food Souls being featured whenever the story flow needs them. I love all of these children too much. If anyone feels kinda off or ooc, please bear with me. That's just how I see them at the moment.

 

When Coffee dropped by Salina’s home, there was no sign of her Food Soul. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Chocolate was up to.

With an impending sense of urgency, he turned around and closed the gate behind him with that same ear-splitting squeak.

Coffee knew he was racing against time. Whatever it took, Salina’s Food Soul was going to track the man down. The blonde Food Soul could think of several scenarios that could happen once Chocolate finds the man, and none of them were of him being a benevolent messenger bringing news of Salina’s passing.

There was nothing that he needed in town. Within a quarter of an hour, he was already on the road out of Darwick, sparing not a single glance back.

He’d tried to spot Chocolate out on the road, but there was no sign of the dark-skinned Food Soul anywhere. This was even more troubling.

‘Damn.’ Coffee grumbled internally. He had a lead at least, taken from listening in on the snippets of conversation at the cemetery. Salina’s old lover was a soldier of the kingdom’s army, not a Cooking Attendant. And the most recent armistice between Midgar and Palata’s capital was the only reason a soldier would be sent out to field in the last few years. It was suicide to pit normal soldiers against the Fallen otherwise.

In his attempts to keep up to date with human affairs, he remembered that there was a Gloriville outpost erected slightly into Palata territory. It had been used as a key stronghold prior to the armistice, but now it served as a watchtower for signs of Aluna, the harbringer Fallen Angel.

The lover could be stationed there. He could also not be. Almost everything was assumptions at this point that Coffee couldn’t help a grumble of frustration.

Coffee grimaced at the long stretch of road ahead, then at the forest to the side. If he pushed through the woods and over the foothills, he could cut down enough time to make it to his destination by nightfall of the next day. But the roads less traveled in this area was dangerous with the Fallen lurking in the shadows. A lone Food Soul such as himself was too much of a prey to pass up for many of them.

This far from his Attendant, he wasn’t sure if his energy would be replenished fast enough if he attempted to _step between spaces_. It was convenient for emergencies, but the power it took for one attempt would wind him down too much. Not even the Soul Fruits in his possession would be enough.

Looking up at the overcast sky, the weather was likely not on his side as well. Behind his sunglasses, Coffee narrowed his eyes.

‘Am I not going to be able to fulfill this request after all?’ He thought. He didn’t want to think about it being another point of failure to add to his list.

“Whoa, whoa, Coffee! Hey Coffee!”

The utterly friendly and brusque tone pulled him out of his reverie. He slowed his pace and turned around in time to see Hamburger pull up beside him in the familiar food truck.

“Bonjour~” Napoleon greeted cheerfully from his perch on the roof. Coffee noticed that one of their numbers was missing.

“Hm? Where’s Hotdog?” He asked.

“Ah, she’s resting at home.” Napoleon responded. “We had a tiny problem on our last delivery. Hotdog was unfortunate enough to take a brunt of the damage.”

_Fallen Angel_ , Napoleon had implied. And one that wasn’t scared of a loud motorbike with a full team of Food Souls. It wasn’t unheard of that some of the Fallen were pretty bold, nor that they were getting bolder by the day.

“That’s a relief, at least.” Coffee commented. Napoleon hummed.

“So whatcha doing out here, Coffee? Thought you’d be chillin’ over at Darwick for a few.” The Food Soul at the wheel asked curiously.

“I...” Coffee restrained the urge to rub the bridge of his nose at the delay. Chocolate could be anywhere now. But looking at the team before him -specifically their vehicle- this might actually be in his favor as well. It wasn’t like any of these Food Souls disliked him.

“Right, about that. I’m actually in a bit of a hurry- No, quite in a hurry. If you’re heading down this way, I’d like to ask for a ride.”

“Huh? Where you off to this time?”

“Personal cafe business, I’m sorry.” Coffee answered, putting on his best sheepish smile. Even though it was something of an open secret to most of Master Attendant’s Food Souls by now, he didn’t want uninvolved parties to know what he did in detail. Tierra forbid that any of them found his more questionable requests.

“Ohh… is it that thing?” There was an excited gleam in Hamburger’s eyes as he spoke. For a moment, Coffee struggled with what he actually meant.

“What thing?” Coffee blinked, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

“That thing you do at your shop. You know, taking these letters?”

“Taking requests.” Steak quipped, having come out from the back and was studying Coffee with his usual intensity. “This is a matter most urgent, Coffee?”

“Uhm… yes?”

“Then we can escort you as far as needed.” Steak answered without missing a beat, much to Coffee’s bafflement. Up until he was assigned to a delivery team, Steak often kept to himself and stayed close to their Master Attendant like a particularly intimidating dog. He’s never really gotten a profile of him, so Coffee simply passed Steak off as a Food Soul who was loyal only to their Master Attendant and little else mattered.

Hamburger looked between them and barked out a laugh. “Well! If Steak says we escort you, then I really can’t say no to leader’s orders. You ever get into a brawl with this guy? No? You’re missing out, man.”

Coffee would like to say he wasn’t, under any circumstances, challenging Steak to a physical match. But he merely chuckled at Hamburger’s words. “Maybe next time.”

“Cool. Anyway, you’re gonna have to squeeze into the back though, looks like it’s going to rain.” He gestured to the darkening clouds overhead.

“What about your delivery?”

“Shouldn’t take long, it’s just in the town on the Palata-Gloriville border.” Hamburger answered.

_Well, wasn’t that convenient?_ Coffee fought to hide a smile.

“That’s perfect. Thank you.”

 

 

As it turned out, having them drive all the way into the wastelands to reach the fort was asking for too much. Coffee expected as much, but he’d held out hope that there would have been something in this town that would help him in this scenario.

The rain came down hard as they passed the gates. Many of the town’s residents had ran to seek shelter from the downpour so the rugged streets were empty of anyone else but a few stragglers and them. They parked into the first covered area they found and had Napoleon and Steak deliver the orders to their client. Spicy Gluten, on the other hand, had chosen to wander down to a bar for whatever reason she never shared. While the rest were away, Coffee told Hamburger where his real destination was.

The skater Food Soul furrowed his brows and let out a grunt. “There isn’t enough liquid crystal to power this ride all the way into the wastes.” Hamburger tapped the fuel tank. “I’d guess it could take us about halfway to the fort but that’s about it.”

“I could probably find transport that goes all the way there. This is a stopover town, by the looks of it.” Coffee spoke, looking at the establishments lining the street. They were mostly hole-in-the-wall bars, brothels and inns, and not many looked to be residential. There should be a garage somewhere in this small town.

Hamburger shook his head. “Good luck finding one that’ll take you there. We’re at a truce for now with Palata, sure, but vehicles like ours out in the wastelands tend to attract the wrong kind of attention all the time.”

That was true, not to mention that even if it were possible, it was a terrible idea to come up to a stronghold with a full team of Food Souls in a bright red food truck that isn’t sanctioned for supply delivery. Too many things could go wrong and ultimately that would lead back to their Master Attendant taking responsibility. That was the last thing Coffee intended.

Coffee stared at dark sky, lost in thought. Now what?

‘I wonder if this weather would even stop him at all.’ Coffee wondered. ‘Why should I care that Salina’s Food Soul might be planning something unsavory towards a human?’

_Simple._ A single thought murmured in his mind. _You don’t want him to end up like you._

While he could let Chocolate do as he pleases, Salina wouldn’t have wanted her Food Soul to follow this path. Bloodstained hands did not suit a Food Soul who was said to bring love. Then again, that title was something that humans thought of. It wasn’t like Food Souls were concerned nor contained by such a thing.

It still didn’t feel right though.

He felt Hamburger inch closer, and heard his question asked in a hushed whisper. “Why are you so intent on getting there anyway? Your client a soldier or something?”

“No it’s...” How much could he tell? “My client just passed and there was someone they wanted me to find and pass a message to.”

It wasn’t a whole lie, and tailor fit to omit certain things. Thankfully Hamburger took it at that, as his face showed a brief flash of sympathy.

“That’s rough, man.” He said, “So whoever this guy is, they’re a soldier?”

Coffee nodded his head, and continued to watch the sky. “My client hadn’t been very forthcoming about information, so all I’m left with is a name and what happened to them before they left.”

The other Food Soul whistled. “Damn, now that’s a problem. Humans sure are something, huh?”

“They are.” Coffee agreed tiredly.

“Well if they _are_ a soldier, then you might be in luck, darling.”

The sultry voice of Spicy Gluten spoke up from behind them. As both Food Souls turned, they saw her leaning against the other side of the motorbike with her back to them.

“How long have you been there, Spice?”

“What do you mean by being ‘in luck’?”

She waved a dismissive hand, ignoring Hamburger’s question. “There’s a group of soldiers at the bar I had a little fun at.” She told him, studying her fingernails and smiling without really looking at either of them. “Perhaps one of them might know your mystery man and deliver your message for you? So you can be done with this tedious task.”

That had Coffee blinking in surprise.

“That changes matters, then.” He said, gears turning in his head. “So… what’s the name of this establishment?”

 

 

The bar he entered smelled of cheap perfume mingled with the acrid smell of cigarettes and vomit in corners that had probably been ignored for a long time. Coffee scrunched his nose in mild disgust, but he pressed on and swept his gaze over the room until he found who he was looking for.

There wasn’t a lot of patrons, so it wasn’t particularly hard to spot a group of five or so men huddled at a table towards the back, wearing the emblem of Midgar’s symbol on their shoulders. They wore uniforms that had seen better days, the dust and dirt clinging to their clothes told Coffee that they arrived within the day when the rain hadn’t started to pour.

One of them in particular had seen him approaching and stared at Coffee from the rim of his beer mug curiously.

Was the lover one of these men? Coffee could only assume. He didn’t hope.

“Excuse me.” He began, garnering almost all of their attention immediately. They all looked like hardened men, and they stared at him knowing what he was.

“Eh? What’s a Food Soul want with us?”

“Pardon for intruding, but I’m actually looking for someone. A soldier from Darwick.”

The soldiers exchanged unsure glances while Coffee smiled politely.

Maybe… just _maybe_...

 

 

“… I’m the driver, it’s my rules.”

“Despite being your ally, I do not like your sense of rules, Hamburger.” Steak glowered lightly, though it wasn’t with enough heat to mean he actually hated the other Food Soul.

Coffee heard the tail end of whatever they had been discussing heatedly as he made his way back to the food truck. Sometime between his departure and return, Spicy Gluten had made herself comfortable on the motorbike, looking very bored at the proceedings while Napoleon watched the two other Food Souls with laid-back amusement.

The sound of rain on the overhanging roof masked his steps that none were aware of him until he was almost next to Napoleon.

“Oh? Are you done?” Napoleon asked.

Steak turned around to face him. “What have you found out?”

“He’s a deserter.”

“What?” Came the chorus from the others.

Dropping his professional mask for the moment, Coffee slumped against the near wall. “He deserted years ago on the way and hasn’t been seen since.”

_Never made it to the stronghold_. One of the soldiers had said.

_Abandoned Salina to her lonely fate_. His mind supplied.

And apparently, Chocolate had found that out judging by the passing remark one of them said.

The cloying anger he felt earlier that same day...

_It makes more sense now._

Coffee closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. There was a pregnant pause as Steak and Hamburger looked between each other, then back to Coffee.

“So what are you proposing we do?” It was Spicy Gluten who asked.

“I don’t know. I have a lead, but I don’t know how long it would take me to track down the man.”

Steak made a soft noise of protest.

“I am not one to advice retreat under most circumstances,” The horned Food Soul started, “But a deserter could be anywhere by now, especially since it was not recent. We aren’t equipped for such a thing. My deepest apologies, Coffee but-”

“Steak, come on! We can’t just tell him to stop whatever he’s doing.” Hamburger interjected.

The redhead made a disgruntled noise and retorted, “Master Attendant would worry if we do not return within the day. Coffee is free to do as he pleases as that’s his business and not ours. As much as I would like to extend help to our fellow, I do not want to do it at the cost of Master Peixes’ suspicions.”

“Oh? And weren’t you the one who offered to help him?”

“That was to escort him to wherever he needed to go, not to be his transport service to possibly all over Tierra.” Steak countered, bristling at Hamburger’s words.

Coffee tuned out the heated bickering. His mind continued to wrack for clues in the information he received to connect the dots. But all he was getting were dead ends that required more information, more investigating. It was not impossible with what he’s capable of when push comes to shove, but what worried Coffee was if he had enough time.

It was only a request of a woman long gone from this world. He questioned himself again why he was trying so hard.

‘Because it was a mark of failure if I didn’t try.’ Is what he eventually told himself, convinced himself that this was what he really wanted to avoid.

He pushed away from the wall, facing the rest of the Food Souls.

“I can do it on my own.”

“Coffee-”

“I’ve taken advantage of your kindness enough.” He spoke. “Steak is right. There’s no need to make Master Attendant worry. Who knows what they might do when you don’t return from this trip.”

“What about you, mon ami?” Napoleon placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. “Surely you aren’t thinking about doing this complicated request on your own?”

He wanted to say he’d done more complicated requests before. In the dead of the night. Under the gentle caress of daylight. A few words to topple an empire. A drop of clear liquid in someone’s morning tea. A fragile neck snapping under the force of his grip.

He said nothing of these.

Instead, the blonde Food Soul said, “I have my ways. Though you’ve spared me enough time by taking me here.”

“Well, if your next stop is anywhere on this side of the border then sure, we can give you one last ride before we head home for the day.” Hamburger offered, much to Steak’s protest.

Steak shot Hamburger a look. “Hamburger.” He growled.

“My bike. My rules, Steak. I’m not letting you drive either.” Hamburger proclaimed, slapping his friend’s arm with an accompanying grin.

“Steak, honey. You should read the atmosphere sometimes.” Spicy Gluten spoke as she casually slid off the bike to stand beside him, running a hand up his clothed arm. “It’s as straight of an answer as you’ll get, and I already know our darling Coffee here is terribly hellbent on personally finishing this request.”

Her dark gaze met Coffee’s. He felt uncomfortable under her smoldering scrutiny.

“I do so like a man with conviction.” She purred. Coffee felt a chill run down his spine and that was certainly not from any wayward memories coming back. He fought to keep his polite smile from shaking.

Steak grunted in response, politely pushing her hand away from where it had settled on his left pauldron. “Fine.” He acquiesced. “One ride, but that is all we can do.”

“Well, that was easy.” Coffee heard Napoleon murmur under his breath. He wasn’t sure what the Food Soul actually meant by it.

“So Coffee, where to?”

Well...

‘If I were a man on treason of death for deserting, where would I want to hide?’

 

 

In this world beset by Fallen Angels and torn by war, death and disappearing were often synonymous. Someone could die one day, and the world would not stop to mourn. Someone could disappear one day, and a stranger with the same face but a different name could resurface somewhere else and no one would be the wiser.

In this town so close to home, Coffee resumed his search for the lover who had abandoned his promises. But he was nothing but a means to the end for what his true end goal was.

In this moment, caught between one step and the next, if he were inclined to speculate or to believe in something beyond what was before his eyes, he would have said this meeting was fated to happen.

But he didn’t believe in that. He didn’t believe in anything that he couldn’t explain through reason.

What he could believe was that the Chocolate walking down the street across from him was none other than Salina’s.

It was the way he carried himself, the single-minded determination that drove his steps to a brisk pace. He was good at hiding and controlling his magic in a crowded place, but not enough that Coffee and a few other Food Souls wouldn’t notice it dripping off his skin. He was also alone, and not even a trace of an easy smile played on those lips.

Coffee slowly turned and began to follow him at a distance. Behind his sunglasses, he studied the man. Behind those blue eyes, his mind began to work out a plan.

He found Chocolate, and he wasn’t going to let him get away this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It went long than I expected because I didn't want the easy route out, nor did I want to get down and gritty with too much narration because that would burn me out faster than I want to. So I've stopped at this point, will take a break, and likely the next chapter won't be out until early next month.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you calm a grieving heart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, we're back. This has been incredibly hard to write without going overboard or underwriting the scenes. I actually feel like I didn't describe much of the scenery as I should have but oh well, on with the chapter.

 

If there was one thing Coffee learned since he started taking requests for the shop, it was that there was a time to be discreet, and there was a time to be conspicuous. There would be a time when he had to blend in with the background, or to approach a target with his perfected mask of professionalism.

Learning when to use which had saved him many times in the three short months since he first started. Now he was using these skills again, but more inclined to being subtle as it turned out Chocolate was sharper than he anticipated.

The dark-skinned Food Soul had realized that something was off, but Coffee liked to assume he wasn’t that sharp to realize someone was following him for days. Well, one could hope their target was dumb enough anyway.

Still, better to err on the side of caution. He didn’t come this far just to slip up.

He’d eavesdropped on a few conversations at first, between Chocolate and whoever he had spoken to. From the words, he built himself an image of the man, a workable background aside from being a soldier.

He was at a disadvantage compared to Chocolate, who knew almost everything he needed to about the human. In response, Coffee did investigations on his own in between trailing him. He put everything he had into making the most logical assumptions, from how humans would behave to possible measures that a coward such as Salina’s lover would take.

Thinking this much was honestly taking its toll on him.

They’ve both been in this town for two days now. The trail was confusingly hot and cold at the same time, more due to the reason that there were a lot of human males who almost fit the description here. That didn’t stop either of them.

Coffee ducked into a bookshop, across a row of market stalls where Chocolate decided to stop at. Chocolate had stopped so abruptly and turned around as if to survey his surroundings that Coffee had little time to react. But Chocolate hadn’t seen Coffee entering the bookshop, and seemed satisfied with his quick survey and turned his back to speak with one of the merchants.

In the bookshop, Coffee adjusted his bow and the coat over his shoulders, then pretended to browse the titles on a shelf row, but he kept the Food Soul in his peripheral through the front window.

That was until someone cleared their throat, clearly not buying into his act.

He turned and spotted the Food Soul seated behind the counter, and it only took him a moment to decide. Rather than appear sheepish and walk out of the shop for being caught, he approached the counter to ask if they knew about the human man he was looking for.

People often forget that Food Souls saw many things, seeing as they have been integrated into the daily life of human society. And many Food Souls, when not bound by orders or a contract meant to strip them of free will, were just as wily and gossipy as any human.

“A man? There was such a man.”

“Is he a local of the town?” Coffee asked.

The Peking Duck studied him with one eye closed, a small mysterious smile eternally gracing his lips. Leaning back into his seat, he let out a soft ‘hm’ before taking a long drag from his pipe.

The seconds stretched into minutes. The blonde Food Soul could feel himself growing impatient.

“He had a child with him, if I recall. Two, in fact.” The Peking Duck went on, as if he were talking to air. “Quite young too, but they were very excited to pick out their picture books that day. It was wonderful having young clients with such passion. They certainly did not get their excitement for books from the male parent. He looked as if ghosts existed in the corners of this shop.”

 _Peking Ducks._ Coffee didn’t understand them sometimes, but they were a wealth of information if they decided they trusted someone.

So the ex-lover has children? If it were true, wouldn’t this just be another nail to the coffin?

“Erm… thank you for that.” Coffee reluctantly said. He turned his head to see Chocolate still talking to the merchants at the stalls.

“Pray tell, though. How would you know if the man I’m talking about is the one you’re looking for?” Peking Duck asked, genuinely curious.

“He sounds close enough to the description. And this is where my last lead took me.”

“Is that so? Then try the fruit orchard just pass the gnarled tree to the north. It’s near a foot path you can’t miss. A widow used to live there until a few years ago when he came.” Peking Duck added with a casual tone.

Coffee wouldn’t say that he was paranoid, but he’d be lying if in that moment he wasn’t at least wary of this Food Soul. No one in his experience gave such information unless it was to misinform or want something in return.

“Why are you telling me this, by the way?” He asked, smiling politely but also unconsciously clenching his fists.

At this, the Peking Duck chuckled. “No reason.” He shrugged lightly, “You looked ridiculous following that Food Soul, who by the way, has already left.”

Coffee unconsciously let out a swear as he turned and bolted out of the shop, much to the amusement of the Peking Duck who may have called out a, ‘Pleasure doing business with you, Coffee’, but by then, Coffee was gone.

 

 

Coffee counted the days since he’d started this endeavor, then thought to himself that if he did manage to finish this request, he would have to face a lot of questions once he returned home.

‘I wonder how Milk and the others are running the cafe. I sincerely hope it hasn’t burned down yet.’ He didn’t think his own joke was funny, but he couldn’t help the thought anyway.

He did trust that the Food Souls he’d put in charge of the shop would do a good job. It wasn’t like he had a lot of menu items, nor any that were too complicated to make. He had been thinking of adding more, but then his ‘other job’ slowly took up so much of his time that his shop had become second fiddle.

Milk could handle the orders, even if she had a hard time with repeat orders or special instructions. And with Black Tea slowly being freed from being full time on the main team, she had seen to accompanying Milk whenever she could.

If only he could send out his thoughts to the other Food Souls so they could communicate despite the distance. But seeing as even a Master Attendant is incapable of such a feat, it was out of the question.

‘They’ll be alright.’

Coffee pulled the blanket closer around himself and surprisingly found himself yawning. After so long of pressing himself into shadowy corners of buildings or between rocks to keep himself safe and out of sight, he sorely missed a proper bed to lay down on.

Besides, it was borderline crazy to be challenging the weather tonight.

He looked out the window from his rented room, watching the rain patter against the glass like a million angry bullets. The autumn rain had come down hard as the skies had turned to dusk. He’d done what he could for the day, but like everyone else, he was forced to retire early for the night.

Night was the only time Chocolate would settle down. Even he knew that the roads and the shadows in the dark were dangerous. If he was in a settlement, he would find an out of the way corner. If night caught up to him out on the road, he would somewhere to keep out of sight of any Fallen Angels or corrupted fauna that prowled the ground. If he was lucky, there would be a shack that people set up long ago as shelter for travelers and wandering Food Souls alike from the elements.

All this, with Coffee keeping his distance and his presence concealed.

The last he’d seen of Chocolate tonight, the Food Soul had settled down in the covered shadows of the building across from this inn. Coffee had been observant of the other Food Soul, and he’d noticed that even Chocolate wasn’t immune to the fatigue wearing down on both of them.

Without Salina as his anchor and source in this world, he only had his own reservoir to depend on. With how hard he was pushing himself, Coffee was certain Chocolate didn’t care if he spent all his energy tracking this man down. After all, what else was there to live for, for a Food Soul who knew little else except affection and loyalty for only their Cooking Attendant?

He realized that in this silence, he missed the sounds of having others around him. He missed Milk’s levelheaded observations. He missed having the background noise of the other Food Souls to chase away the uneasiness he felt when he was alone for too long. He’d never had a request keep him away from home this long.

‘I’m doing so much for this guy.’ Coffee thought to himself. ‘I’ve traversed roads and pooled so much effort to catch up and stay ahead of him. Is it really because I don’t want him to become like me? Or to fail before I could even lift a finger?’

What would Milk tell him if she had been here in this moment? Would Black Tea have the same sentiments as he does?

He would not have any of those answers tonight. And convincing himself that he was above and detached from longing for familiarity could only take him so far.

Pulling the covers over himself, Coffee hoped that tomorrow would garner a good end to this impromptu journey.

 

 

Three years since he had turned his back on his lover, a soldier went missing. He’d abandoned his duties to the kingdom and to his lover, going into hiding for reasons that Coffee couldn’t fathom.

But he understood the repercussions a single decision could create over time.

Coffee kept a relative distance to the quaint cottage. It wasn’t a big lot, just enough to have a few small rows of apple and apricot bearing trees, and a small vineyard with the grapes already harvested for the season. Coffee could hear a rooster crowing somewhere at the back of the house.

He sat atop a branch of a tree outside of the farm lot, hidden by the foliage. He observed the front door opening as a man stepped out to be followed by two children bursting out and happily chasing each other in the front yard.

It was just as the Peking Duck had said. From his vantage point, he could make out the general features of the man. The hair may have been shorter, showing off a prominent cheekbone, but there was no doubt in the quiet, furtive way he surveyed his surroundings that this would be the same man Chocolate was tracking down.

It was then a woman walked out, a baby held in her hands and he saw how the man turned to her and a smile appeared on that face.

The more Coffee looked at him, the more he could see how Salina may have fallen for him. There was a gentleness to his mannerisms, but also a confidence to his movements and perhaps a way with words that Coffee could only imagine.

“It’s only a pity that he hadn’t loved her as much as she did him.” He murmured to himself. He didn’t know the full story between Salina and her lover, and it was likely he never would. It wasn’t a loss, since it wasn’t him that he was after, anyway.

‘Now where are you, Chocolate?’ Coffee turned his blue gaze over the expanse of the land, pushing out with his magic to feel for anyone that felt like a Food Soul.

He felt nothing, but that didn’t mean he would allow himself to relax even for a moment. He withdrew his senses and contented himself with observing the family.

It was a waiting game now.

 

 

Coffee traced the movement of the sun in the sky via the shadows of the fence. It could have been two hours since he’d climbed this tree and kept watch over the vicinity, or it could have been only one. He couldn’t exactly estimate the correct time.

The family had gone about their morning routine, with the mother and her baby returning to the house earlier than the rest. With the sun slowly reaching the zenith, there was a faint scent of roasting chicken and vegetables wafting from the smoke rising out of the chimney.

Now Coffee was thinking, if Chocolate were to come now, how was he supposed to convince the other Food Soul to not carry on with likely murdering the man and his family?

Suffice to say, Coffee came up short on plans that would realistically work. A calm negotiation would be near impossible, and the more he thought about it, subduing Chocolate was something he could probably do if he was Steak. He was not Steak.

Coffee briefly glanced at the necklace he’d been absentmindedly toying with. A considering look crossed his face as he held up the jewel to the light, admiring how the sunlight bounced off the jewel and yet made it glimmer like part of the night sky was trapped within it.

 _You could be something to him, even after death._ He recalled his own words to Salina. Perhaps… perhaps Salina could help. She was the only one Chocolate would listen to, after all. It was a plan that could also realistically fail if he didn’t play his cards right, but what else did he have that would work?

“I hope I know what I’m doing.” Coffee grumbled.

Sound caught his attention, and Coffee watched as the wife came out to call them in for lunch. The man paused from cutting wood and called out to the children who were playing further down in between the orchard rows, and they came barreling at him with peals of laughter.

From an outside point of view, it was the picture of a perfect family.

The blonde Food Soul shook his head, his eyes focused on them entering the house as the winds began to pick up, rustling loudly through the trees-

Wait.

The winds felt erratic, blowing in from an unnatural direction following a sudden tumultuous surge of magic somewhere down the road leading to the lot’s gate.

_Chocolate!_

The cold, raw edge to the power was familiar, terribly familiar that it made him quickly jump down to his feet.

But as his shoes met the soft ground, a jarring sense of vertigo immediately grasped him and a voice that was nowhere but everywhere in his mind rose up from the dark.

“ _The devil’s brew, huh?” The playful, almost teasing voice intoned. “I wondered what kind of Food Soul would come from something called such. You don’t look much like a demon. Or even a Fallen Angel-”_

“ _If you’re just going to make fun of me, get out.” Coffee heard himself speaking dispassionately, feeling his brows furrowing to throw what was probably the fiercest glare he could make._

“ _So scalding.” The blurry figure had chuckled at the veiled threat. Everything surrounding the figure was also indistinguishable colors and shapes. “Maybe some other time then?”_

“ _What makes you think there would be another time?”_

_The figure was quiet, and then moved as if to reach out at the same time as-_

The memory suddenly cut off into nothing, leaving Coffee standing awkwardly as if someone had slapped him across the face.

He pressed the heel of his hand against his brow, grimacing even as the echoes of the memory faded, making his head throb from phantom pain.

‘These always come at such inconvenient times.’ He thought. Why couldn’t they come when he was not focused on something? Likesay, when he wasn’t trying to stop a murderous Food Soul?

He didn’t have time to wonder about that. He could feel the core of this power surge moving closer, making the hairs on his arms stand as if electrified.

This was a bad idea. There was no way on Tierra he would be able to fight off a Food Soul of this level alone. But there was no time to call in for back up, and Coffee never wanted anyone else involved in this in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward from behind the treeline, purposely putting himself in the way of Chocolate’s advance towards the house.

 

 

It had been too long since the cemetery, when Coffee had been the closest to the other Food Soul. But now that there was barely ten feet between them, he could make out the less than immaculate appearance of the dark-skinned Food Soul. If Chocolate had been human, the slight sallowness to his face and the dark circles under his darkened eyes would have been a sign that he was sickly and hadn’t been taking care of himself.

“Step aside.” The same toneless voice he heard from the cemetery spoke.

Coffee stood with his feet apart, but kept a casual laxness to his stance in order to show that he was no threat. “What do you think killing this family would achieve?” He asked, a tiny smile gracing his lips without meaning for it to show.

Chocolate narrowed his eyes, and a frown appeared on his lips. “What does this have to do with you?” He returned icily. Chocolate took another threatening step forward, threads of invisible energy whipping wildly around him, twisting and snarling at Coffee as if threatening him to say the words that would give the other a reason to attack.

He gave Chocolate no such satisfaction.

“Step aside.” Salina’s Food Soul repeated, taking another step forward.

_Here goes nothing._

“She wouldn’t have wanted this to happen.” The tiny smile ebbed from Coffee’s lips as he fished out the wrinkled and slightly torn envelope from his pocket, then offered it to Chocolate like a gift. The furrow between Chocolate’s eyes disappeared as his countenance took on a more bemused shade.

“I apologize for not introducing myself, I am the manager of Satan’s Coffee Shop. In accordance with the request in this letter, I am here to stop you from what you are about to do next.” He kept his tone perfectly controlled, exuding a calm he didn’t feel at his core. He pretended that he was dealing with a particularly difficult customer, an experience he’s had plenty of practice with.

Chocolate narrowed his eyes at him, distrustful. But to Coffee’s credit, the Food Soul looked to the letter outstretched to him and at once, his eyes locked onto the familiar handwriting that he was certainly more intimate with.

Like a desperate man, he quickly took the letter and almost tore the envelope as he unfolded the letter Coffee himself had read several times.

Silence fell around them as Chocolate’s eyes scanned the brief letter, then looked up and glared at him.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

“As you have read,” Coffee answered smoothly with a more confident smile. “Not too long ago, the sender mailed it through one of our mailboxes. The payment has already been made as well, so we’ve come to execute the request, as promised.”

There was a moment where Coffee allowed himself to be hopeful, when Chocolate’s shoulders drooped the tiniest fraction and the energy calmed its vicious twisting and snarling.

But in the blink of an eye, he felt that power rear its ugly head at him and lunged, swiping at his core as Chocolate grabbed a fistful of his shirt with one hand.

Coffee couldn’t help a brief look of surprise and his hand immediately flew to Chocolate’s wrist, fruitless as it was with how tight the grip was.

“And you think you can stop me? Alone?” Chocolate growled. Energy crackled around his body, the poncho draped over his shoulder fluttered and floated slightly in a breeze that wasn’t there.

Those dull, darkened eyes looked at him as if he were nothing but a wall that Chocolate was giving a small warning to before he’d eventually blast through it anyway.

Coffee knew if it came down to a fight, the odds were likely not in his favor. Never mind that his Master Attendant took care in strengthening him and kept him almost on par with the backup team, there would always be a significant gap between his class and that of Chocolate’s.

Besides, he wasn’t sure how strong Chocolate really was prior to Salina’s death. He was no stranger to gambits, but he was already risking his neck for one. He wasn’t about to pull another.

“I’m not the one who’ll stop you.” Coffee tilted his chin up, gazing at Chocolate from behind his translucent sunglasses. He spoke the next two words with as much conviction as he could.

“It’s Salina.”

Those words struck a chord in Chocolate. As if his strings had been cut, his grip loosened and he stepped away, looking to the ground with brows furrowed as if in deep thought.

The turbulent winds slowly ceased, the power creating them dissipating like a storm abating. In place of the loss, a heavy silence swept in and settled around them.

Coffee didn’t take a single step backwards or forwards. He didn’t take his eyes off the Food Soul who was too quiet for comfort.

Eventually those shoulders drooped further, and Chocolate let out a tired exhale.

“He was the only one she ever had eyes for.” He said in a near-whisper. He lifted his head to stare at the house with a deadened gaze then to the letter he’d accidentally crumpled in his other hand. “And yet, her last words was that she worried about me instead. Hah… what a capricious master.”

“Humans are interesting, aren’t they?” Coffee spoke. Chocolate didn’t reply. Without so much as another word, the Food Soul turned away and began to walk in the opposite direction of the house.

Coffee just stood there, dumbfounded by the action.

Hold on. That was it?

Coffee couldn’t believe that this was all it took. Granted, he was still wary about Chocolate having second thoughts, and he’d been fooled before with the Food Soul’s actions, but this was still better than he anticipated. Unexpected, but better.

Hesitantly, he began to trail after Chocolate, making just enough noise in his footfalls to let the other know that he was following him.

“Where will you go?”

His question was met with silence. Coffee assumed he might go back to Salina’s home, or like any unbounded Food Soul, act on their own instincts and have little to do with the rest of the world.

It would probably be what Chocolate wants, and what Salina might allow, but wasn’t that kind of life lonesome? There was hardly anything happy that Coffee could think of about it.

Spurred on by a sudden idea, he quickened his pace until he stood in front of Chocolate again.

The other Food Soul stopped, and he opened his mouth to argue until Coffee fished out Salina’s necklace and took Chocolate’s hand, placing the necklace in his open palm.

“If you have no where else to go, you are welcome to come find me at Satan’s Coffee Shop.” Coffee said promptly, wanting to get his words out before Chocolate could say anything.

“Satan’s… Coffee Shop?” Chocolate asked wearily. He looked at the necklace in his palm with the same unchanging expression of exhaustion and confusion.

“My shop, in Gloriville. Salina did say that we help you find happiness after her. But… that’s a rather broad topic, don’t you think?” Coffee said, adjusting his sunglasses. “We don’t even know what it is that makes you happy.”

Chocolate glanced back at the distant house, at the warm little home that could have been Salina’s.

‘It could have been his too, in a way.’ Coffee thought as he watched the other. For a moment, he sensed that spike of anger return, but it disappeared before he could react. Now Chocolate turned his attention back to Coffee, a little bit of life returning in his blue gaze.

“Do you think it’s possible for the likes of us to find happiness in this world of beautiful lies and broken promises?” Chocolate asked, genuine emotion gripping each and every one of his words.

Coffee blinked. He mulled over the question for a moment, thinking of Milk, of his Master Attendant and his fellow Food Souls. He recalls the requests he receives from anonymous recipients, of the nature both good and dark written in ink. And last of all, he recalls the memories, both fragmented and whole, of a life he lived in the past.

In the end, was it indeed possible for Food Souls to exist happily in this world?

“I honestly don’t have an answer.” Coffee answered. “I’ve found that the everything is harder than it seems to be. Whatever you choose, there’s always going to be opposition.”

Chocolate looked at him with a blandly interested gaze. Pocketing the necklace, he narrowly avoided brushing shoulders with Coffee and simply said,

“I see.”

 

 

 

Those had been Chocolate’s last words to Coffee before they separated. With his job technically done, Coffee had made his way home and spared only a single glance at Chocolate’s retreating back.

It had been almost a week since then.

The sounds of chatter and the soft clack of ceramic mugs and teacups brought him back to the present, in time to hear perfectly articulated words from a familiar voice addressed to him.

“You’ve been awfully quiet. This hardly ever happens.”

He made a face at the Food Soul before him, picking up another mug to dry with the cloth in his hand. “I told you, Tea. There’s nothing else to talk about. Nothing happened.” He told her.

“Nothing happened.” She repeated, giving him a very flat look. The loud laughter and chatter from a group by one of the windows masked their conversation, which allowed them to speak about Coffee’s trip without fear of being found out.

“Nothing _untoward_ happened. I finished the job, and came home to all of you bombarding me with questions and somehow miraculously avoiding a permanent timeout in the Ice Rink by our Master Attendant for an overextended vacation.”

“That’s because you didn’t die.” Black Tea said matter-of-factly.

“… How does that even relate?”

Black Tea shrugged and took a sip of tea. Coffee shot her an exasperated glare. He waved her off to sit at one of the vacant tables off to the side of the counter, promising to later indulge her in some afternoon chatter over snacks and drinks as Milk had been sent on a market errand with a few others, and the restaurant was doing fine without any need for extra hands. So in short, Black Tea was essentially bored and Coffee was available.

On his end, Coffee was glad to be back, working at his shop and serving his customers. The days he spent on Chocolate’s job felt almost like a vivid dream, one that he could remember with some trepidation but also with a note of sympathy.

He still didn’t know what else he could do for Chocolate, but there was no telling where the Food Soul would be. He hasn’t appeared in his shop at all, and so there was little else that Coffee could do about it. He wasn’t about to go on another journey to look for him.

With Chocolate put to the back of his mind, his attention jumped to that memory that had returned at such an inopportune time. He couldn’t recall all of it, but what he could only served to make him curious.

Who had been that person talking to him? What was he about to say? It wasn’t his old Master Attendant. He would never use such words against him, no matter how detached he used to be with the affairs of that man. Knowing himself, it could have been someone who had been significant at one point in his old life.

But there was no use rushing the memories to return, if they would at all. It was unknown how much could be recalled from what the _ether_ took away from their old lives, and he didn’t know a lot of other Food Souls who were willing to talk about their past lives after being resummoned.

It was something to pick apart at least, on the days when he found himself utterly unable to do or think of anything else. His old life was a long time ago, enough that there were no ghosts to haunt him in this life.

Coffee left his spot at the counter to serve a table, smiling politely at the pair of men before he went off to prepare their orders. He was back in almost record time, serving their cappuccinos before moving to clean up a table nearby.

The bell at the door chimed to signal another customer had come in, though Coffee didn’t pay the new customer any attention as they approached the counter, likely to get a closer look at the menu before ordering anything. Coffee would entertain them once he set the dirty mugs in the sink.

“You gave me the payment fee. Won’t this be a loss to your business?”

The question confused Coffee. He turned around to meet an almost familiar azure gaze studying him intently, and looking more bright than the last time he’d seen them. And all at once, he remembered the last thing he had done before he parted ways with this Food Soul.

Speak of the devil, and he shall come. But wasn’t that just a strange thing to think about from himself?

Coffee gestured for Chocolate to take a seat at the counter, flashing him a smile. Chocolate looked unsure at first, before he slowly slid into a seat and fixed Coffee with a stare to mean he wanted an answer.

The blonde Food Soul wasn’t sure why Chocolate decided to appear after a long period of… well, absolutely nothing. But he wasn’t going to look dumbstruck, not in his own shop and with Black Tea right there. He set about brewing a cup of coffee, as Chocolate seemed patient enough to wait for his answer.

The few minutes it took for the coffee to brew to nothing less than perfection allowed Coffee to think over his answer.

Honestly, he never really cared about the worth of Salina’s necklace, not even at the beginning. For him personally, it was a pretty bauble and nothing more. His business was open during the time he had been away, so there was little loss to be had. But that answer probably won’t be enough to satisfy Chocolate.

As he poured the coffee into a clean cup, he eventually came upon an answer.

“I have never done anything that brings a loss to the business.” He answered as he set the cup of hot coffee before Chocolate. “The gem itself may be worth plenty, but it’s just a dead item without any feelings.”

Coffee thought of Chocolate’s merciful sparing of the man who had wrong his Master Attendant, and his family as well. He also thought of Chocolate deciding to live on until this moment, instead of dissipating into nothingness.

In a way, it was Salina’s wish being fulfilled by her own Food Soul. He didn’t need to guide Chocolate by the hand, like what he initially thought this request would become.

He offered Chocolate his best reassuring smile. “Besides, I’ve already received a very satisfying payment instead.”

The other Food Soul eyed the steaming cup with a quiet, unreadable expression. Slowly, he brought the cup to his lips and took a tentative but generous sip.

Chocolate let out a soft sigh, though it had nothing to do with the coffee. “Thank you for your coffee.” He said, looking to the blonde Food Soul with an expression that was hard to read. Nevertheless, a ‘thank you’ was a ‘thank you’.

“You’re welcome.” Coffee returned.

“You were also the one following me, weren’t you?”

Coffee froze.

“… Pardon?”

“It’s not like Salina knew where her lover ended up. My Master Attendant was incredibly stubborn to a fault.” Chocolate spoke without missing a beat, looking up from his cup to stare Coffee dead in the eyes. “Unless you knew who he was prior, or which Chocolate I was, or Salina miraculously gave you everything you needed to know, you wouldn’t have been able to get there ahead of me.”

Coffee chuckled to mask his discomfort. He was impressed that Chocolate figured it out, but it’s not to say he also liked being put on the hot seat like this.

“Ah, now that isn’t part of the request. I don’t give out trade secrets without payment.” Coffee smoothly threw back with a tiny smile.

“So if I paid you, you would answer my questions?”

 _Hell no._ “ _If_ I actually accept your payment.”

“That’s a funny way to run a business.”

“It’s not a mainstream kind of work. You understand. Anyway,” He leaned in closer to Chocolate and spoke in a lower voice. “This isn’t the time to be talking about this. My customers don’t know what I do aside from running the cafe.”

Chocolate pursed his lips, and nodded in affirmation.

“I’m not sure how to feel about being stalked.” Chocolate said in a dry tone, in the same level of voice Coffee used only moments prior. He took another sip of the coffee, looking suddenly thoughtful. “But I guess because you meant well, I could overlook that.”

“Ah, well I-”

“I still have questions, though.”

“That’s only fair.” Coffee agreed, pulling away and momentarily diverting his attention to several patrons giving their thanks to him before leaving. Meanwhile, Chocolate slowly drank the rest of his coffee, seemingly not bothered by how hot it was.

Coffee excused himself and began cleaning the tables, looking up when he noticed Chocolate standing and making his way to the door.

“Chocolate?”

“Expect me to visit once in a while.” The Food Soul told him, pausing in his stride to give Coffee another look, but this time it had a more inquisitive tinge to it despite his expression being as unreadable as ever.

“You don’t want to ask later? You could stay until I close shop.”

Chocolate shook his head and looked away. “No. I’m sorry for dropping by so suddenly, but thank you for having me.”

“You’re… welcome?” Coffee said questioningly, watching as Chocolate turned and left the shop without another word.

 _Strange._ That was what Coffee could describe the whole encounter being. So Chocolate would be coming around, would ask questions and then… leave? It didn’t make a lot of sense to him but he wasn’t against the idea.

‘Maybe he’s just lonely. That could be it.’ Coffee thought as he finally cleared away the tables and made his way back to the sink, then grimaced at the pile. ‘I really should have requested help from the other Food Souls with the tables.’

Still, having Chocolate visiting meant he could also help him along with finding happiness, as per Salina’s request. And if it somehow helps, a cup of coffee every time he came over wouldn’t be such a huge loss.

“Nothing happened, huh?”

Coffee’s hands stilled under the running water, belatedly realizing that _oh, Black Tea._

From her seat, Black Tea rose a brow at Coffee, her lips set into a thin line and a face that clearly spoke, ‘We are going to have a long talk about this. With Milk, too’.

Coffee resisted the embarrassing urge to hide under his counter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whopping 6k words for this chapter alone, ladies and gentlemen. I've never gotten that close since drafting a chapter for an old YoI fanfic. Anyway, as it is unbeta'd, I'm very much open to suggestions and other feedback. Special thanks to a dear friend for letting me headcanon their Peking Dad running a bookshop.
> 
> This story will soon start to divert into semi non-canon territory. I’m going to have a blast getting these two to figure each other out.
> 
> Also, has anyone ever thought about Coffee just -on a whim- telling Chocolate basically, 'Hey you can crash over at my shop when you feel like it.' Because while it sounds like shipping material, realistically, Coffee's just derp enough to think it's a good idea while coming up with a way to stay in contact with Chocolate whom he feels is partly his responsibility now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late autumn settles around Gloriville. Two Food Souls have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter to set the pace for Chocolate’s visits and Coffee getting back into the swing of business. Just getting a few more things out of the way before I start steadily working my way into focusing on Coffee and Chocolate working out a friendship (and maybe more)

 

“Alright, Coffee. Spill.”

“Milk, please talk some sense into Tea.” Coffee said, turning to the quiet Food Soul. Milk looked between the two of them, seated primly on her bed just as Black Tea crossed her arms, standing in front of the door of their bedroom, and barring Coffee from attempting to escape this impromptu questioning.

Following Chocolate’s departure, she made sure he didn’t run any detours after shop hours. The only time she left him was to get Milk, who Coffee knew wouldn’t be too far from either of them once she knew they were home. Now he was sitting on the only chair in the room, looking almost pleadingly at Milk to tell Black Tea to back off.

“I can’t do that, Coffee. I’m sorry.” She apologized in her indifferent tone. Coffee shot her a betrayed look. The women exchanged glances, something unspoken going between them and they each stared at him again.

“We knew you were doing something even before Hamburger’s team told us you were hoping towns looking for a soldier.” Black Tea explained. “I mean… no offense, you don’t _take vacations_ , Coffee.”

“I took vacations!” He protested hotly.

“Master Attendant telling you to extend your stay in the Ice Rink is not a vacation.” Milk quipped, voice steady and firm. “You’ve been working at your shop for the past three months. You barely leave your shop.”

‘That was because most of my more questionable requests were done at night or in between shop errands.’ Coffee thought to himself. They didn’t know anything about the darker requests he took. And that was the way it was going to stay. Hell, Salina’s job wasn’t even in the same category.

He grimaced, then ran a hand through his hair. After a moment’s pause, he answered, “It was just a simple request. I didn’t know it would have become that complicated.”

“If it were a simple request, would you have been gone for… Milk, how long was he gone?”

“Milk-” Coffee started.

“Nearly two and a half weeks.” She interrupted without missing a beat. She didn’t even look apologetic for even throwing Coffee under the bus called Black Tea.

“It was…” Coffee trailed off and made a sound not unlike a groan. “Tea, please. The job had been simple. Then one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was looking for someone the client had lost contact with before they died.”

Black Tea rose a brow. “And you just couldn’t drop it and say no?”

His hesitating silence was answer enough for both of them. Coffee couldn’t meet Black Tea’s stare for long, and he looked away, glancing at Milk to see that she was looking at him with a tiny furrow of her brows.

Disappointment. Concern. Curiosity. It was easy for him to discern her emotions despite how blank she often appeared to be. Coffee threw her a helpless look that sent a message better than words could ever say.

“So what was that Food Soul doing in your shop and why did he say that you were following him?”

The blonde Food Soul looked between the two women, eyebrows scrunched together as he considered just how much could he tell them.

As if sensing his growing discomfort, Milk stood and came up behind him, placing her hands on the chair’s backrest, her knuckles brushing the fabric of his shirt. It was a gesture she did for Black Tea when she was anxious, but it started with him first of all.

“Coffee, it’s alright.” Milk spoke quietly. “We’re just worried about a stranger Food Soul coming to the shop and knowing you, that’s all.”

_Of course._ Because their Master Attendant had never summoned a Chocolate themselves. Not that it was unusual even for someone with the talent for holding multitudes of Food Souls. A Food Soul answering a summons was still a phenomenon shrouded in mystery. But fanciful rumors often say that it’s because of compatibility, and if that Food Soul was meant to be part of the Master Attendant’s life.

What it meant for their Master Attendant in particular, Coffee didn’t have the time to ponder on it right now.

“Well… he’s actually the one I was looking for.” Coffee confessed. He gave them a shortened version of his impromptu journey, stating only the important bits and whatever else he thinks would deflect them from asking too many questions. Black Tea and Milk listened with rapt attention, though Black Tea’s face remained stern while Milk looked reserved as ever.

“After that… I gave him back the necklace and I told him he could come over to the shop if he had nowhere else to go.”

“You what?!” Black Tea exclaimed.

“It sounded like a good idea!” He argued, raising his hands in defense. “And I still stand by that. He’s unbounded and in grief, Tea. Give him a chance to get back on his feet.”

Black Tea rubbed the sides of her forehead and exhaled loudly. “Coffee. Coffee, I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but that’s irresponsible of you.” She said. Coffee opened his mouth to argue but she raised a hand to tell him she wasn’t finished. She continued, “You run your shop, our Master Attendant allowed you even after finding out. You accept these assignments from strangers, and almost all of us know about it, but we keep it a secret from Master Attendant because we didn’t think there was any harm in it. Some of the others even love the missions you give them.”

She gestured to the box that sat on Coffee’s table, as if to emphasized her next point. “But this? Allowing a stranger Food Soul to visit whenever he wants, and near to our Master Attendant? We don’t know him, Coffee.”

And it is true. He knew very little about Chocolate. What the blonde Food Soul knew was because of Salina. Without his Master Attendant, who had been his whole world, Chocolate was literally without purpose and yet he’s still alive. Him following the Food Soul for days didn’t really count for a lot.

And their last conversation sounded like he didn’t have any clue what he wanted to do with his life after Salina. Well, aside from questioning Coffee, that is.

“He won’t hurt them.” Coffee finally said.

“How would you even know that? How would you know that he wouldn’t hurt any of us?” Black Tea insisted.

If Coffee had to put it honestly, he didn’t. Chocolate was an anomaly that needed to be studied and kept at an arm’s length. But Coffee was certain that it isn’t in Chocolate’s nature to needlessly harm.

“I’m sure.” Coffee answered with more confidence, straightening his back and looking Black Tea in the eyes.

He had answered the request of a dying woman. He fulfilled it despite the odds, despite coming close to being killed by Chocolate. He counted this as one of the better times something went right for him. In this, he would not back down. He won’t let Black Tea, for all that he considered her a friend, to imply that he was _wrong_ in saving an innocent Food Soul.

Black Tea held his gaze, her stern expression never leaving her face. Eventually, even she conceded.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing.” She grounded out.

“Black Tea, that’s enough for now.” Milk spoke softly. The gunner fell silent, watching the two as if searching for something before she quietly excused herself from the room. Upon hearing the loud clack of the door closing, the wind went out of Coffee’s sails and he slumped in his seat.

“What am I doing, Milk?” He asked, allowing a tone of confusion to color his question. Milk shifted behind him, her hands moving to softly pat his hair.

“I don’t know, Coffee.” She answered flatly. The healer ran her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture, and Coffee dropped his chin with a sigh.

“Do you think it was a wrong to have stopped Chocolate?”

“I don’t think so. You were only acting based on what you thought the request entailed.” She replied. “And it was to help Chocolate ‘find happiness’, isn’t it?”

“It’s a very broad topic.” Coffee confessed. “I admit, I didn’t think that one through.” That brought a tiny smile to her lips, though he didn’t see it.

_Silly Coffee._ She thought. But it wasn’t a bad thing to hope and see the good in others. She may find it easier to detach herself from human emotions and trivialities, but it didn’t mean she was against others experiencing them. Otherwise… otherwise she wouldn’t have allowed Coffee to pursue the aspirations that followed him into this life. All that mattered to her was that she would have a little more time to spend with her friends.

Below her, Coffee stifled a yawn. He was probably still feeling the edges of fatigue from the days past.

“Please rest, Coffee. Don’t answer any more requests for the night.” She said and for once, Coffee agreed that he just didn’t have the energy for anything else tonight.

 

 

The next day, Coffee came to the shop earlier than usual. By the time he was warming up the barista machine and was halfway to setting up the chairs and tables, Long Bao and his brother-of-sorts dropped by the café to help, stating that their Master Attendant had sent them over before their market errands.

It was a mutual agreement between Coffee and his Master Attendant. If there were Food Souls available, they were free to help with Coffee’s shop. They weren’t obligated to, and neither did Coffee explicitly ask for any aid except that of Milk’s and Black Tea’s, but they came of their own accord.

As they were not regulars, Coffee didn’t delegate to them any tasks beyond serving and cleaning up tables, and washing the used tableware. Only Milk and Black Tea had any sort of understanding of how to work the machines.

It was a system that worked until now, what with the small customer limit the shop’s space allowed.

Coffee opened the shop on the dot, then bid farewell to the Long Bao brothers. He went back into the shop and did every single thing that he could until the first customer arrived almost an hour later. Milk came by after lunch to help him with the afternoon crowd. Coffee assumed that she was also curious about this Chocolate he’d talked about the day before.

But Chocolate didn’t come by that day. Or the day after that.

Coffee had tried to delay the closing of his shop just a little longer in hopes that Chocolate was going to come in during the last hour, but he saw neither head nor hat of him amongst the passerbys.

It was senseless to feel annoyed at the unbounded Food Soul for not coming around when Coffee expected him to, but he couldn’t help it anyway. He felt like he was wasting time, even though time was something all Food Souls had in abundance.

‘He did say to expect him. I guess I should have told him to be more specific about _when_ to expect him.’ Coffee’s mind supplied as he opened shop on the third day since the visit.

He hadn’t read any of the correspondence he’d received from the teams since he’d returned. The letters sat tightly bunched in the box that was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Maybe it was because he was still too drained from his last outing, or that he was dreading to find a letter penned in the same way as Salina’s. Probably it was both of those reasons that he kept himself from even opening a letter at all.

But he still brought the box with him every day. He didn’t want anyone getting into it out of curiosity and finding something that was unsavory at the least. The box stayed tucked in a small hidden corner under his counter, where it would stay until he took it out.

The sun slowly rose into the sky, then began its descent. It was only Coffee in the shop now, the last of his customers had left a few minutes ago.

Autumn was nearing its end and the weather was getting chilly enough that a lot of people were now wearing thicker clothes. Food Souls had higher tolerance to temperature changes, so it wasn’t a surprise to see a Tempura or the rarer Bamboo Rice just walking around baring skin like it was summer all year round.

In any case, business was slow today. Coffee had half a mind to close early and spend more time socializing with the other Food Souls, especially since their Master Attendant had summoned a new face since he’d left on his ‘vacation’.

Then again, he wasn’t sure if Pastel de Nata would appreciate socializing with him. The guy was cold in the way Vodka was frigid. The only one who seemed enthusiastic about Pastel’s arrival was Napoleon Cake. That didn’t need any explanations.

Coffee turned around and began putting away the mugs when the bell chimed and he immediately turned around, polite smile in place and his standard greeting on the tip of his tongue-

That was until he recognized just who came in and the greeting never made it out of his mouth.

“Oh… Chocolate.”

Chocolate arched a brow. “You sound disappointed.” He said as he removed his hands from his pockets and made his way over to the counter. The Food Soul looked better now, a little less haggard, but there was still an air of exhaustion surrounding him still.

Coffee made a sound that didn’t really mean anything. “Well, when you say expect you to visit, I thought you meant you’d be coming back the day after.”

“You were waiting for me to show up?” He asked, sounding almost disbelieving, maybe a tinged amused. A small upturn of his lips made itself obvious.

Coffee shot him a confused glance. “What’s wrong with that?” He threw back.

Chocolate hummed softly, tilting his head slightly as he gave the blonde a quick once over. “Nothing. You’re just odd.” He said easily.

‘That was a nice way of putting it.’ Coffee thought as he opened the cabinet where he stored his array of coffee beans.

Chocolate took the same seat at the counter as last time, placing his hat on the countertop and watched as Coffee went about preparing him a cup. “You’re not going to ask me what I was doing?” The dark-skinned Food Soul asked him.

Coffee looked momentarily thoughtful, before shaking his head. “That’s not my business.” He answered. “Unless you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“Mm… maybe not now.”

Well, there’s no arguing that.

He was about to measure a cup of light roast beans from the bag when he stopped. The blonde Food Soul suddenly turned to Chocolate and said, “I was thinking of brewing you another cup of coffee, but I thought that you might want something else while you’re here.”

Chocolate squinted at the menu, then at Coffee. “You’re giving me a choice?” He asked.

The blonde smiled at him. “Of course. Coffee isn’t the only item on the menu.”

Chocolate let out a soft hum. His gaze turned inquisitive as he perused the board, then he pointed. “How about a Café Macchiato?”

Well that wasn’t too hard. “Gladly. Please wait a moment.” He replied. With a task at hand, Coffee exchanged the bag of beans he had with another bag, one he specifically used for expresso based drinks. He measured enough for a single cup, then had it finely grounded. With speed and efficiency, he set about to making the expresso, and was near simultaneously steaming the milk.

In less than three minutes, he was pouring the expresso into a white ceramic cup, then carefully added the steamed milk and light foam. He didn’t think twice about adding a small flourish on the foam, manipulating it to form a milky white fern against a light brown backdrop.

“You’re good.” Chocolate said, as Coffee gently placed the café macchiato in front of him.

Coffee flashed him one of his polite smiles again. He didn’t think much of the compliment, filing it away as one of the many he received from his customers every day. “I wouldn’t be called Coffee if I wasn’t at least good at this.” He replied, stepping away to clean the nozzles of his machine.

“So the shop is your day job?”

Was this the start of the promised questions? Coffee wondered as he kept his hands busy while his mind worked to produce an answer.

“Day job? You mean… oh, yes. Well it is the main avenue of income.” He answered. Chocolate had an idea of what he did on the side, so there was no use pretending that it didn’t exist.

Chocolate hummed. “It has an odd name to it. Satan’s Coffee Shop.”

“… That’s what my… previous Master Attendant wanted to name the shop they wanted to open. In a past summoning.” Coffee answered, hesitating at the start since that particular memory was fuzzy in places. He didn’t know if his first Master actually wanted to name it that way, or it was Coffee himself who thought the name was fitting.

“So you’re not unbounded?”

_Shit._ He could almost feel Black Tea’s eyes tearing down his back.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” He answered quickly. Chocolate’s expression was one of veiled amusement. He even had the audacity to chuckle at him.

“Alright, alright. Next question then. What are you going to do with me now?”

The question confused the blonde. He glanced at the other Food Soul and said, “Isn’t that something you’re supposed to figure out?”

Chocolate shrugged. He replied, “You did what Salina asked you to do, found me, and so I’m here.” His blue gaze followed his finger circling lightly around the rim of the ceramic cup, leaving the foam art undisturbed.

Coffee pursed his lips, trying to understand what exactly Chocolate was playing at. He leaned against the counter where his machine was, flipping the words around in his head.

Nope. He wasn’t getting anything other than the idea that Chocolate expected him to know what to do. And he certainly didn’t know how to guide an unbounded Food Soul in their pursuit of happiness.

“Salina wanted you alive, Chocolate. Isn’t that something to be happy about?” He tried asking.

Chocolate sighed and answered,“I’m not sure if you understand, but I don’t know any other humans outside of my Master Attendant and the town she settled in, Food Souls moreso. Well, barring you, of course. What am I supposed to do for the rest of my life knowing what this world is like?”

That sounded a lot like he knew a darkness beyond simple infidelity. Did he? Coffee didn’t want to ask lest it be rude or lead to other questions he himself was uncomfortable answering.

“Why not travel? Maybe look for other Food Souls?”

“That would be nice... Except that almost anywhere outside of a human civilization is a wasteland or riddled with Fallen Angels even I can’t match.” Chocolate said, then finally brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. “I mean, my life does seem very important to someone who has never met me before.”

Coffee stilled at the words, at what they were implying. It didn’t escape his notice that Chocolate’s amused and easy air had also dissipated. Was he… was Chocolate sassing him?

“Did you just come here to tell me it’s my fault for stopping you?” Coffee’s tone took on an edge. The temperature in the store suddenly felt hot and cold all at once. Or maybe it was simply Coffee’s imagination? He didn’t really care at the moment.

Chocolate fixed him with a look over the mug’s rim. “… At first.” He spoke, slow and clear as if to let Coffee hear every word. He carefully set the mug down after another sip. “And then I decided not to take it against you. You were only following what Salina asked of you, after all.”

Coffee kept himself from saying anything. He waited for Chocolate to continue, or at least let him know that Coffee was allowing him this moment to explain himself.

Chocolate remained silent for another breath. And then he looked away. “I don’t understand why you would take it that far.”

“You mean purposely getting in your way of killing an innocent family?”

Chocolate whipped his head so fast Coffee briefly wondered why he didn’t feel disoriented. “Nothing of that family is innocent.” Chocolate said hotly. They locked gazes briefly before Chocolate reluctantly looked away, something tired creeping into the gleam of his blue eyes.

“Let’s not… talk about that.”

“I won’t.” The blonde Food Soul promised.

They lapsed into another silence. Chocolate nursed his slowly cooling cup, while Coffee decided staring at the other Food Soul was not a productive thing to do, so he resumed putting away the cups and clearing away the counter of ingredients. As he kept himself busy, he considered what had transpired so far.

This conversation gave off the feeling that Chocolate was feeling Coffee out, whether or not there was something else that he wanted out of saving Chocolate from being branded as a murderer, or worse.

Coffee asked himself that question enough times over the past few weeks to know he honestly had no personal attachment to the Food Soul. Yes, he felt sympathy for him, and yes, he didn’t want Chocolate to go down a dark path. But it was just as Chocolate said; They were strangers, connected only by a dead woman’s request.

But that same request now gave Coffee a small sense of responsibility towards Chocolate, even though he didn’t actually find that at all tasteful. One thing’s for sure, he wasn’t going to tell Chocolate what to do with his life. Give him suggestions, but nothing more than that.

‘Maybe if killing the ex-lover’s family was what he really wanted, then what reason do I have to stop him if he tries for a second time?’ Coffee thought then mentally kicked himself. ‘Oh wait, right. Dark path.’

This is hard.

“If I could suggest something, Chocolate?”

“Go on.”

“Why don’t you start small? Just travel.” Coffee spoke, “You don’t need to go far. There are plenty of places around Gloriville to go to. And humans are interesting enough to observe and learn something new from. You might find something worth pursuing.”

Chocolate shot him a look, one similar to the ones he couldn’t read back then.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” And then Chocolate sank back into contemplative silence, steadily draining his cup. It wasn’t long before all that was left was a bit of foam at the bottom. That, so it seemed, marked the end of this visit.

“Thank you for the drink. It was delicious.” Chocolate said as he stood up. He paused for a moment, then added, “I will be visiting again some time in the next three days. Is that alright with you?”

_At least this time there’s a timeframe._ “No. Not a problem at all.” The blonde Food Soul returned, smiling politely again out of habit.

As Coffee watched the dark-skinned Food Soul make his way out and onto the street, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was dealing with something more complicated than he was accustomed to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As for the weather patterns on Tierra, it’s actually pretty vague how that works since the world’s fish-shaped and I think -based on the information in game- different land areas experience different seasons at different times of a year. So I’m just using a very loose system that divides the known in-game map into directions and just winging it. Gloriville/Midgar and its neighboring surroundings would be entering late autumn in this fanfic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is settling in. Coffee’s shop is busier than ever and an offer is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. Please do excuse the strange flow of things, I've had such a whale of a time figuring out how to get everything to make sense while fighting off a writer's block.

 

“Two caramel macchiatos for the lovely miss Cherlyn and miss Ginny.”

“Oh shush, Coffee. You’re such a darling to an old lady like me.”

Coffee smiled as he placed the beverages on their table, dipping his head respectfully at the old woman and her companion. “I cannot tell a lie, miss Cherlyn. You are looking exceedingly well for your age.” He remarked without missing a beat.

Cherlyn, a deceptively imposing woman with a full head of silver tied back into a long braid over her shoulder, covered her mouth daintily and chuckled. Her companion, a younger woman but not by much, smiled into her hand and was appearing more capable of restraining herself.

“Well! Young man, if you insist on speaking that way, call me Cherlyn from now on.” The woman said amiably. “If only males of our society would have as much sense as you do. A woman likes to feel appreciated no matter her age! Bah, men. Always chasing after women barely entering their prime. This isn’t the old century anymore.”

“In due time, Cherlyn. Human society does change as the years go by. Who knows? Maybe you’d see your wish fulfilled soon enough.”

Cherlyn laughed, patting him on his arm. “You’re very optimistic, Coffee. I like that about you. But do go on and let a woman be to her gossip. You’ll be seeing more of me if this weather keeps up!”

“As you wish. Don’t hesitate to have any of our staff know what you need.” Coffee said in parting, then returned to the counter. Around him, his small café was abuzz with noise and activity. The chilly winter air had been particularly brutal the past few days, and more people had dropped by to while away a few minutes or an hour in the cozy warmth of his shop. It wouldn’t be long before they started peering at the menu and they would be ordering something to help warm themselves up before braving to the coldness outside.

Coffee hadn’t wasted a drop of energy today as he made drink after drink, taking orders and engaging in a little small talk if it was a regular patron. He ran his business efficiently and with wit, knowing it was a way that kept his customers coming back.

Helping him today was Black Tea, Milk and surprisingly Long Bao, who was quite popular with the young women in the shop because of his cuteness and endearing maturity. His brother-of-sorts was away on a long campaign to the fields with their Master Attendant, and they weren’t expected to be home until tomorrow at best.

Even with the help, Coffee was still finding himself just short of being timely with the orders, what with some customers deciding to get to-go’s. He was busy enough that he only spared a quick glance at Chocolate as the Food Soul entered the shop before he was back to focusing his attention on the brewing coffee. They’ve established an almost routine with the visits since that day in autumn, and it had remained the same up until now.

“Hey, you’re busy today. Can’t say I’m surprised.” Chocolate remarked casually, hands in his pockets and his poncho tucked more securely around himself. His usual seat by the counter was surprisingly vacant, or at least the customer had left shortly before he had arrived. He slid easily into the chair, watching Coffee hurriedly move back behind the counter.

“It’s the weather.” Coffee answered absentmindedly as he went about brewing another batch of coffee and measuring out the milk needed for another order. Behind the counter with him, Black Tea was carefully sliding slices of cake onto a small plate then placing it on a tray. Milk came over and waited patiently for Coffee to finish.

Meanwhile Chocolate met her gaze. “Hey, nice to see you again.” Chocolate greeted, smiling pleasantly at her. She returned it with an acknowledging nod, no evident changes on her indifferent face. When Coffee placed the drinks on the tray, she carefully took it and carried it over to the designated table.

“There’s no getting her to smile, is there?” Chocolate sighed, glancing at Coffee.

The blonde Food Soul quirked a tiny smile at the question. “If you’re Black Tea, maybe you have a chance.” He spoke, earning him a passing jab from the aforementioned Food Soul. Chocolate didn’t seem to have noticed it.

The doorbell rang as another customer came in, and began to peruse the menu once they were near the counter. Coffee shot them a quick smile before briefly shifting his attention to Chocolate and said, “Sorry, I’ll get back to you after the shop’s closed for the day.” _Which would be in three hours_ , Coffee noted as he glanced at the wall clock.

“You don’t need my help?” Chocolate asked, gesturing to the crowd of customers.

The blonde Food Soul blinked at him, looking mildly surprised. This was the first time Chocolate had offered his help, as far as he had been observing Coffee going about his business. Still, as much as he would appreciate the help, Coffee didn’t think it was right. Not now anyway.

“Thank you but maybe next time? Though feel free to stay. I’ll gladly listen to your stories after I close up shop.” And that was all he was able to afford Chocolate before his customers began talking and he was noting down their orders and going about to prepare it.

With Coffee busy with the seemingly unending stream of customers and orders, he was unable to take another break. Long Bao and Milk served and cleaned up the tables as they are vacated, while Black Tea helped him at the counter, taking up the tasks he was unable to do. Chocolate, in the brief glances Coffee threw him, seemed to be contenting himself with watching the ongoings of the cafe from his seat.

 

 

By the end of the third hour, and when the last few customers had left and Long Bao had flipped the sign to ‘Closed’, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“This was the busiest we’ve been in weeks!” Long Bao said, slumping over in the nearest chair. “It almost felt like being in the restaurant again.”

“Why? Is Pudding not managing the restaurant right?” Coffee asked as he was putting away the money earned for the day. It was a weird thing to imagine Pudding being irresponsible when he was incredibly nitpicky and planned everything ahead of time. Two steps ahead even.

Long Bao shook his head. “Not really. I meant when Master Attendant was running the earlier days of their business and there were so few of us to help.” He explained. “You and Pudding did really well managing our shifts and kept us from becoming completely spent.”

“Yeah, it was.” Coffee could remember them well enough. There wasn’t a day where they had free time to rest completely between shifts, not when their fellow Food Souls could be counted on just two hands including the team that went with Master Attendant out onto the field.

Things are different now, for better or worse.

Long Bao swayed lightly from side to side, humming softly to himself as a thoughtful look passed over his youthful face. “Won’t you think about hiring outside help soon? I think it would help very much.”

It was a prospect he had been considering, but he didn’t know how to go about that one. He could ask his Master Attendant for help, yet he didn’t want to come off as ungrateful or demanding by asking for more assistance. But on the other hand, he didn’t know if it was a good idea to do something like this without their knowledge. Thinking about the box of letters he kept in the hidden compartment under the counter, he’s certainly done enough of that.

“It’s an idea. I’ll run it through Master Attendant first before I do anything about that.” Coffee spoke, “But it may take a while with them constantly out on the field.”

“Coffee.” Milk spoke immediately after.

He turned to her. “What is it?”

“Chocolate’s asleep.” Blinking, he turned in the direction of the Food Soul, finding that he had buried his head in his arms and was indeed, asleep. And their talking hadn’t even roused him.

‘Oh, so that’s why he’s been quiet.’ The blonde Food Soul thought.

“Let him. He must be tired.” It was Black Tea who spoke as she went about putting away the chairs while Milk dutifully swept the floors. Coffee began cleaning up his machines as well, while Long Bao quickly hopped from his chair and took up washing the dirtied cups and utensils.

Long Bao glanced behind his shoulder, fixing Chocolate with curious eyes. “He’s the one you saved, isn’t he?” He asked, in a voice only meant for Coffee to hear. The clink of the mugs and the sound of running water masked his voice well. “I wonder if he’s still grieving over his Master Attendant.”

“How do you know that?” Coffee asked. Certainly he’d never told anyone about Chocolate’s life, barring Milk and Black Tea. And Chocolate hadn’t met a lot of his fellow Food Souls for as long as he had been coming here, only the few handful that have decided to help or hide out in his café until Plum Juice stormed over to drag them back home.

Long Bao turned his gaze back to his task, a pensive little smile on his face. “A Food Soul never strays from their Master Attendant for long, not by the contract’s will.” He answered sagely.

The blonde Food Soul paused over cleaning the nozzle of his machine. “I suppose we can’t know whether he’s still grieving or not… That’s something only he can answer.” Coffee answered eventually. “But how did you know he has something to do with me? Though saving is not exactly the term I’d use.”

“I have to have _some_ secrets, Coffee.” Well now, this he didn’t expect from someone like Long Bao. But he didn’t press the question, and they returned to their respective tasks. By the end of the hour, the trash was taken out, everything was cleaned and put away for the night, and everyone was feeling a great need to go home and sink into their beds.

Chocolate was roused. He let out a soft grunt as he lifted his head and rubbed sleep from his eyes. “How long was I asleep?” He yawned.

“Uhm...” Coffee started, then glanced at the wall clock. “Give or take a few hours.”

Chocolate blinked. “That’s long.” He muttered, getting up from his seat and stretching languidly. He wasn’t even bothered by the presence of three other Food Souls eyeing him with various degrees of curiosity.

Right, Coffee did promise he would listen to Chocolate after work. But he wasn’t going to make the others wait on him or be privy to their conversations that have somehow become something refreshing to have after a hard day’s work. He turned to the others and said, “Go on ahead home. I’ll be the one to close shop.”

Black Tea rose a brow. “Are you sure?” She asked, subtly looking between him and Chocolate.

The blonde Food Soul didn’t take notice of her eyeing them. He nodded and replied, “Positive. I won’t be long, I’ll just walk Chocolate to where he’s staying at.”

The others didn’t question him any further. With a goodbye, they left the shop. When they had started down the road, Coffee turned to Chocolate. “Sorry.” He said with a brief apologetic smile, “We can’t stay here, but we can talk while we walk.”

Chocolate hummed, replacing his hat on his head and adjusting the poncho over his shoulders. “I was going to tell you about what I saw the other day, but it really wasn’t anything important. I came to the shop today to just watch you work.”

“Oh. Oh, right! Sorry I didn’t make anything for you today.”

“It’s alright.” Chocolate laughed, his laughter more like a breathy chuckle. He’d only started being less reserved so recently that Coffee still found himself slightly taken aback whenever Chocolate would respond with a laugh. “Besides, you listening to me is more than good enough.”

They headed out, with Coffee double checking that everything was turned off or locked away. For a moment, he considered bringing the box of letters with him, but decided against it. He didn’t want Chocolate using that as a topic of conversation. So he secured it and locked the café door.

It was a chilly night out, though it hadn’t snowed yet. Coffee finally made use of his scarf for the purpose that it was made for and wrapped it securely around his neck. He didn’t feel the cold, but he did find a little satisfaction in the act.

As they walked, their breaths came out as puffs of air, disappearing into the night before the next breath. In the companionable silence settling between them, Coffee can’t help but look at the other Food Soul, who seemed deep in his thoughts.

“How are you doing?” He asked, deciding he’d be the one to initiate a conversation this time.

“Hm, not bad.” Chocolate replied, his eyes focused on the road ahead of them. “Seeing a lot of Food Souls in one place is still something I’m getting used to. It’s also a little jarring to see more Chocolates walking around.”

“You’ve never met another one? Not even before moving to Darwick?”

“Salina wasn’t a very sociable person even when she was younger. Neither did we see the same battlefield as the rest of the Master Attendants of her age. When she met… her ex-lover, we moved to Darwick shortly after.” Chocolate explained.

Darwick also wasn’t exactly a town that attracted a lot of the younger Master Attendants, as far as Coffee had observed. They all flocked to the major cities where all the convenience and work was. So Chocolate’s ‘hometown’ was considered provincial and filled with civilians.

“Then I guess that’s… uhm, good.”

“Good?”

“Yes, good. Because you’re getting used to how things work around here.”

“For someone who smooth talks their customers everyday, you’re not exactly a good conversationalist.” Chocolate pointed out. Coffee found himself on the receiving end of Chocolate’s raised brow and a straight-faced stare. He decided that he should probably change the subject.

“So where are you staying? I hope you’re not staying in an alley like before.”

Chocolate snorted, another small laugh escaping him. “You sound so concerned about where I decide to sleep for the night. But don’t worry, I’ve ah… secured a room at an inn for the next few days.”

“How did you manage that? You found work already?”

A smile appeared on Chocolate’s lips. “Words are powerful weapons, Coffee. You know this.”

It took a few minutes for that to sink in and to connect in the blonde Food Soul’s mind. “… Did you flirt with the innkeeper?” He asked, much to his own dismay at Chocolate’s widening smirk.

“Maybe?”

Somehow, that made Coffee a little annoyed. “While I understand your circumstances, you can’t just flirt your way to free accommodations, Chocolate.” He said, pushing his ungloved hands into the pockets of his coat. “That’s not how the world works.”

Chocolate looked like he was taking the words in stride, yet his next reply held an edge and holding none of the mirth he displayed earlier. “Why not? If I put it into perspective, Salina’s ex-lover flirted with her, took advantage of everything she had up until he no longer loved her, and yet he kept fooling her until he found the right time to leave her behind with nothing but a broken heart. But in the end, it got him what he wanted.”

Coffee winced at the words. Spoken so frankly like that, he couldn’t formulate a proper response. Was there even one?

He almost missed the moment Chocolate stopped walking, forcing Coffee to stop mid-step and turn to the suddenly upset Food Soul.

“Tell me this isn’t how the world works, Coffee.” Chocolate continued, his tone unwavering. “Tell me that this world doesn’t run on lies. Or that Salina was simply unfortunate.”

Coffee bit his lip. He could lie, and handle whatever rebuffs Chocolate may have. But he couldn’t. Not when it was unfair to the other Food Soul, and not when he knew it to be a lie when laid before what he knew of this world.

So he opted with his own honest opinion.

“I can’t tell you that.” Coffee spoke. “The world isn’t fair to anyone. Even to us.”

Chocolate shifted his weight to the other foot. “Then is this the way life I would have to live with from now on?” He asked. “Wouldn’t it be better if I simply disappeared from the eyes of human society?”

“You could do that. And I wouldn’t stop you if that’s what you want. But would that be what Salina wanted?”

“I don’t know what Salina wants!” Chocolate exclaimed to the chilly night air. “Salina is dead and I don’t…” he trailed off, eyes wide as if realizing something for the first time.

Coffee stood by, watching the other Food Soul with furrowed brows and a hand half-raised to reach out to the dark-skinned Food Soul. He hesitated from touching the other, unsure if Chocolate would appreciate the gesture.

“Damn it, Coffee.” Chocolate huffed out a laugh, something desperate lacing the words. “I don’t know what I want. She was everything I had. Everything I did was for her benefit.”

It was a repeat of their past conversations. Worded slightly differently but it was still the same idea. The same unending question of Chocolate being at a loss on what he is supposed to do with this unbounded life.

_Was this what grief was truly like?_

Coffee didn’t know. Come to think of it, perhaps he had known grief, but with his past life being nothing but gap-filled memories, anger so fierce was what he could remember the most. He didn’t know if grief had been disguised as that anger or vice versa. And his current Master Attendant is alive and well, his friends were here too. There was no need for him to grieve yet in this life.

He didn’t want to pretend to know better than what he really did. Yet as he watched Chocolate wrestling with his own inner turmoil, the blonde Food Soul felt the urge to help. But what could he possibly offer?

Realization dawned upon him then. He _could_ help. It may not be a good idea to some others -likely Black Tea and her well placed concerns- but all things considered, Coffee didn’t have any other options he could offer and besides, this was for Chocolate.

“Chocolate, come work for me.” The words were out of his mouth in a single breath.

The other Food Soul stood still. Slowly, he dropped his arms to his sides and turned his bewildered blue gaze onto him.

“I… where did that come from?” Chocolate blurted out.

A part of himself was asking that same question. “I just want to give you a purpose.” Coffee paused and inhaled. “Even if it’s just temporary. I guess just aimlessly walking around wasn’t doing you much good.”

“Coffee. I wasn’t just aimlessly walking around.” Chocolate replied, his brows furrowing together. “It gave me time to think. Although I think it just brought a lot more questions than answers. Not that it’s a bad thing when Food Souls like us have our long lives to figure it out.”

Coffee deflated, a rush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. He thought of Black Tea being right about his being too whimsical and jumping to decisions too easily, even when he can’t help it.

“Sorry.” He said, fixing his gaze to the ground.

A hand lifted his chin gently, and for a brief moment their eyes met. Coffee was confused by the gesture more than anything. He wasn’t even sure what Chocolate wanted to accomplish by doing this. But whatever it was, he couldn’t tell before Chocolate looked away and let that hand fall back to his side.

“Let’s keep walking.” He mumbled and without waiting for Coffee to reply, the other Food Soul continued to walk.

 

 

The inn Chocolate was staying at was one that Coffee recognized, having passed by it several times when he used to run market errands for his Master Attendant. Briefly, he was relieved that at least Chocolate knew how to pick a decent inn.

“When will your next visit be?” Coffee ventured to ask as they stood to the side of the entrance. He felt himself growing more uncomfortable the longer Chocolate didn’t give him an answer. Well… He couldn’t blame the other if he decided to ignore him. He did go too far with that last offer.

“Er…” Coffee shifted awkwardly. “Never mind. I’ll see you when I do. Have a good night, Chocolate.”

Before he could make his way home, the other Food Soul reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his coat.

“Is the offer still open?” The question came out in a slow, hesitant tone he’d never heard from Chocolate until now.

Coffee was taken aback. He had almost convinced himself that he had stepped an invisible line in their previous conversation. That Chocolate would no doubt think lesser of him and his misplaced effort to help. Apparently that wasn’t the case.

“Eh? Of course. I am understaffed at the moment.” Coffee answered, pushing away any doubts. The other Food Soul smiled a little and tilted his head.

“Then, would you still have me?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t think you’d fit the job. Just… don’t antagonize Black Tea, alright?”

That got a laugh from Chocolate, surprisingly. “You’re worrying too much. I think she likes me.”

_You have no idea._ Coffee thought wryly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A general heads up! I have started on a private writing project a week ago (amongst other personal and work projects that have end of this year deadlines), so updates on my AO3 fanfictions will become less frequent (read: probably dying but not really) since the former takes more precedence. Don’t worry though. Whether it takes a year or a decade, I plan to finish what I started.
> 
> Anyway as always, thank you very much for reading my silly little stories. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


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